Press Release
Legislative Yuan
November 14, 2022
President You receives a seven-member delegation from the International Religious Freedom Secretariat led by President Nadine Maenza
You Si-kun: We urge China’s democratization with like-minded partners from around the world
Accompanied by Secretary General Lin Jih-jia and others, Legislative Yuan President You Si-kun received a seven-member delegation from the International Religious Freedom led by its Secretariat President Nadine Maenza.
Before the meeting, President You conveyed greetings to each member of the delegation after having been introduced by Taiwan Association for Human Rights Chairman Yang Hsien-hung. President Maenza praised President You for his courage and hard work in helping Taiwan democratize. President You stated that Taiwan endured the longest period of martial law in the world at 38 years. President Maenza responded that it was hard to imagine that a place known for its vibrant democracy, freedom, and rule of law having endured such a period.
After the meeting, President You told the dignitaries that international support was key to Taiwan’s democratization, as it catalyzed efforts by the people of Taiwan and the Presbyterian Church. President You continued by sharing the history of Taiwan’s democratization. The murder of Lin Yi-hsiung’s mother and twin daughters, the slaying of National Taiwan University math professor Chen Wen-cheng in 1981, the assassination of writer Henry Liu in California in 1984, the formation of the Democratic Progressive Party at the Grand Hotel in 1986, activities to bring about the end of martial law on July 15, 1987, and the death of President Chiang Ching-kuo on January 13, 1988, were all crucial events in the process. After President Lee Teng-hui took office, he implemented a series of reforms, such that comprehensive national assembly and legislative elections were held in 1992, direct presidential elections in 1996, and the first alternation of political party in power in 2000. President You spoke on the historical events surrounding Taiwan’s democratization to underscore the importance of international support. He especially thanked the US for its timely backing. President You then took the opportunity to mention that on February 1, 2023, the 30th anniversary of the formation of a democratic legislature would be celebrated. President You thanked Pastor Bob Fu and others for their efforts to successfully broker the release of Lee Ming-che, who had been detained by China for five years.
In turn, President Maenza thanked President You for his warm welcome and introduction to Taiwan’s democratization. She said she was honored to meet with President You, who had played a key role in Taiwan’s history, and to gain a firsthand look at how Taiwan cultivated democracy. She stated she had the privilege of serving as chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for four years. In the organization’s annual human rights report, 27 countries are listed, only four of which saw improvements. This underscored the fact that human rights around the globe are deteriorating. Standing in contrast to this is Taiwan, which is a beacon of religious freedom and worthy of study by the US and the USCIRF. As USCIRF Secretariat President, Ms. Maenza has been promoting religious freedom and is planning to conduct the International Religious Freedom Summit in May 2023 in Taiwan. She then extended an invitation to President You to attend the event.
ChinaAid Founder and President Bob Fu thanked President You for receiving the delegation. At the invitation of the Presbyterian Church, he and other members of the delegation visited Tainan Theological College and Seminary and read about President You’s speech at the Northern Taiwan Joint Prayer Meeting to mark the 40th Anniversary of the 228 Incident while You was a Taiwan Provincial Assemblyman. You’s remarks were printed in the February 22, 1987, issue of Taiwan Church News. Pastor Fu said he believes that Taiwan’s fight for religious freedom should be made known worldwide. Over the past decade, he said, he had visited Taiwan many times, sometimes participating in public hearings at the request of the Legislative Yuan along with other victims of religious persecution. This was a tremendous comfort and encouragement to many victims of religious persecution worldwide, including in China. He hoped to work with Taiwan to fight for China’s religious freedom. The International Religious Freedom Roundtable had been founded with assistance from the Presbyterian Church and the Tibet Foundation. He hoped Taiwan would continue to promote the spirit of “Taiwan can help” internationally and assist countries and regions that do not enjoy religious freedom. This would, he said, further undergird Taiwan’s status as a beacon of freedom.
President You thanked the guests for their kind invitation and promised to attend the summit in person if his schedule permitted. The book Breaking the Ban on Political Parties in 1986: Ten Critical Days for the Founding of the Democratic Progressive Party was presented to delegation members. President You then elaborated that the Democratic Progressive Party had been founded on September 28, 1986, via a move that broke through the government’s ban on forming new political parties. This was a watershed moment in Taiwan’s transition to democracy. The book includes an oral history by Wang Jia-hua, who had been Chief Secretary to President Chiang Ching-kuo.
Wang’s statement shows that President Chiang had had no foreknowledge of the formation of the DPP. He was not simply permissive, as he had full control of the party, the political machine, and the military. After the formation of the DPP, media reports and US attention forced Chiang to announce a lifting of martial law 10 days later during an interview with Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham. It was a critical period. Political and judicial repression followed, with such victims as Deng Nan-jung, Taipei City Councilors Lin Cheng-chieh and Yen Ching-fu, and Neo Formosa Incident victims Huang Tieng-fu, Chen Shui-bian, and Lee I-yang. And yet, Taiwan gradually moved toward along the path of democracy.
The discussion continued with a consideration of how the US should assist Taiwan with its international participation. President You said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine starting on February 24 was a reminder to strengthen Taiwan’s defenses in the face of bullying by the Chinese Communist Party. President You elaborated on how the CCP’s point of view, when combined with China’s traditional political thinking, endangers the entire world. The CCP had already annexed Hong Kong and, if it successfully took Taiwan, it could claim that democracy is not suitable for the Chinese-speaking world. Leaning into the traditional thinking that “there cannot be two suns in the sky, nor two emperors on the earth,” and “all land under heaven belongs to the King, and all the people are subjects of the King,” the CCP holds to a mindset that “even if a thousand miles away, those who affront China must pay.” Such sentiments are seen in its use of wolf-warrior diplomacy and efforts to engage in repression at home and expansion abroad. President You expressed admiration for US President Joe Biden’s call for all democracies to fight Russia, the CCP, and other powers. During the first year of the Trump administration, China was listed as a strategic competitor in the 2017 US National Security Strategy. The Taiwan Travel Act, meanwhile, entered into force on March 16, 2018.
The Rev. Sudu Tada, Deputy Director General of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, shared how Taiwan had joined the International Religious Freedom Forum. The administration of President Tsai Ing-wen appointed Pastor Pusin Tali as ambassador-at-large; meanwhile, President Tsai and Vice President Lai Ching-te attended a regional religious freedom forum organized by NGOs in 2019. The reverend then expressed hope that President You would be able to attend the International Religious Freedom Summit in Taiwan in May 2023.
Ming Jou Yu Chen, Secretary General of the Foundation of the Dalai Lama, then spoke about Tibet’s lack of religious freedom and human rights. She pointed out that over the past 60 years, Tibetans have been arrested, sentenced, detained, and fined because of the Dalai Lama, yet related documentation, records, and reports are not made to the outside world. To preserve religious freedom and culture, nearly 160 lamas have self-immolated. Tibetan Buddhism has been banned by the Chinese government. After Xi Jinping visited Tibet, he set out an order prohibiting Tibetan parents from sending their children to temples to learn their own language and culture. He even made a ruling that children age six to seven should be sent to other organizations, such as military agencies, to be cared for. She hoped that President Maenza and other countries would be more sensitive to the situation in Tibet, and she underscored how the geopolitics of Tibet are important for the US and other countries, urging them to pay attention to Tibet’s freedom and human rights.
President You responded by stating that he is concerned about Tibet’s human rights and religious freedom. When serving as premier, he came into contact often with advocates for Tibetan freedom. He thanked the US for its assistance to Tibet. He also pointed out that China does not have religious freedom and represses Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Falun Gong, and Christianity. In remarks on October 4, 2018, at the Hudson Institute, US Vice President Mike Pence strongly condemned the CCP for persecuting human rights and described China as “an unparalleled surveillance state.” However, the CCP has never changed and the situation has further deteriorated.
President You expressed hope that one day the CPP would change so that China would enjoy freedom and democracy, because the essence of the CCP’s political thinking at present is expansion abroad and repression at home. However, he said, an alteration seems unlikely without external intervention. President You further pointed out that the CPP is concerned about the effect Taiwan, the beacon of freedom and democracy, can have on China. He hoped that in the future Taiwan would work with international like-minded partners in support of international religious freedom and the National Endowment for Democracy to promote freedom, democracy, and human rights and to help China realize these values.
The meeting ended at 10:25 a.m. after an exchange of gifts.