Taipei, April 19 (CNA) There is no way that China can play the role of a "responsible stakeholder" in the international community because of its autocratic nature and resistance to political reform, a group of Chinese democracy activists said in a seminar Wednesday.
"People expect China to become a democratic country and responsible stakeholder after its economical development. It's a fantasy," said Ruan Ming, an advisor to President Chen Shui-bian and a former Communist Party of China (CPC) spin doctor in the 1970s before fleeing China.
The activists were responding to a 2005 statement by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick in which he said: "As it becomes a major global player, we are now encouraging China to become a 'responsible stakeholder' that will work with the United States and others to sustain, adapt, and advance the peaceful international system that has enabled its success."
Chinese President Hu Jintao insisted on a policy that "opens up the economy but retains political suppression," Ruan said, adding that he calls it an "open slavery system."
"Regardless of what attention it gets or doesn't get, the CPC will not be a responsible party, and this has always been the case," said Paul Lin, a New York-based political commentator.
The world is seeking a "new definition -- economically or politically" of the current China, said Hu Ping, the chief editor of Beijing Spring since 1996. But he said the world should also look at "the dark side behind China's peaceful rising."
"Economists offer praise and are amazed at China's economic boom. However, if China does not develop comprehensive political reforms, we'll be seeing an evil superpower ten years from now," Hu warned.
"The CPC will not be responsible to anything because it's a totalitarian regime, which is not being supervised by elections or the media as it is in democratic countries. You just can't trust them," said U.S.-based political commentator Cao Changqing.
The seminar "Will the CPC be a responsible stakeholder?" was organized by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.