Taipei, Oct. 8 (CNA) Taiwan's government on Friday congratulated Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo for winning the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize and urged the Chinese government to engage in the promotion of human rights as its economic power grows.
President Ma Ying-jeou said in a press release Friday that Liu's award was "not only an individual honor but also has great historical significance for the development of human rights in China."
Quoting his own speech of June 4, Ma urged China to treat dissidents with lenience because "it would convince people throughout the world that the rise of mainland China contributes not only to the cause of peace, but is also a positive development from the standpoint of the universal values of freedom, democracy, and human rights."
Premier Wu Den-yih told reporters that Taiwan and Liu Xiaobo both promote freedom and human rights.
"With China's economic development and integration into the world, the ideals of freedom, the rule of law and human rights will be accepted by the majority of its people in the future, " he predicted.
Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan said Liu's honor underlined the importance of human rights as a universal value.
Taiwan "looks forward to China's good faith in promoting human rights and advancing political reform," she added.
The main opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) called for the immediate release of Liu and voiced its support for China's democratization.
Political commentator Paul Lin, formerly a Chinese professor who specialized in the history of China's Communist Party of China and now a naturalized Taiwan citizen, also praised the award.
"Justice has prevailed. And Liu Xiaobo has now become the new-generation torchbearer of China's democracy and freedom movement," he said.
Liu's award is indicative of the global trend of most countries believing that a rising and powerful China still needs thorough reforms, Lin said.
He praised the Norwegian Nobel Committee for upholding the true value of the award and fending off Chinese pressure.
"The ball is now back in China's court. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, who pledged political reform, should publicly voice his support for Liu, who also called for reform 'within the system' rather than a flat-out revolution. If not, Wen's pledge was questionable, " he said.
Lin said he did not expect the Chinese government to release Liu in the near future. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls