President Lee Teng-hui this morning receives former Polish President Lech Walesa. During the meeting, both of them share the same view that communism will end up as the ashes of history, and that in the long run freedom and democracy is going to become the mainstream of the world.
Mr. Walesa says that at the present time only few countries, going against the world current, practice communism. He also predicts that communism will be completely replaced by freedom and democracy in five years.
President Lee emphasizes that communism, which is hegemonic, feudalistic and arrogant, has inflicted great disaster on many peoples of the world in the 20th century.
Accompanied by Mr. Chen Wen-hwa, Vice Foreign Minister, and Dr. Chan Huo-sheng, Vice Chairman of the Council of Labor Affairs, Mr. Walesa comes to the Office of the President for the meeting. Mr. Stephen S. F. Chen, Deputy Secretary-General of the Office of the President, is also present.
During their meeting, President Lee gives his warm welcome to Mr. Walesa, and reiterates that the government and people of the Republic of China pursue the unification of China and insist it be reached under freedom, democracy and equitable prosperity.
In explaining to his guest the world-acclaimed economic miracle created by the Republic of China during the past four decades, President Lee notes that the whole process for such endeavors could be summed up as "the first stage of the Taiwan Experience." He also points out that, following successful economic development, the ROC is now actively engaging in a series of reforms, including judicial, political, cultural, and administrative ones. That is to say, the Taiwan Experience is entering the second stage, the President says.
Meanwhile, President Lee voices his concern about the fact that the Chinese Communists are advocating nationalism as a ploy of united front to allure Chinese people around the world. He believes it is unwise to play with nationalism.
President Lee also tells his Polish guest that the Chinese Communists have already sensed that communism is declining. "But the Communists are simply strengthening their economic reforms and openness while becoming more and more conservative in the political arena. It is impossible for them to give people freedom and democracy. If anyone advocates freedom and democracy, he or she will be severely suppressed."
Mr. Walesa says that, though communism is disdained by people around the globe, its threat still exists, and that freedom and democracy will defeat communism eventually.
The former Polish president adds that the Republic of China should make more effort to draw the attention of the leaders of the world to her efforts for the cause of freedom and democracy and her ongoing struggle against communism.
President Lee points out that he made some research on communism to know that communism is a tool used by a few persons, such as Karl Marx, Nikolai Lenin and Mao Tse-tung, who utilized the human weakness and people's dissatisfaction with their life to incite people to join them just for realizing their own ambitions. However, communism's vision of humanity and the subsequent basic economic structure it presents are totally to put the cart before the horse, the President notes.