The issue that concerns me most when looking at recent developments in Asia is that a major war could break out in Asia during the first half of the 21st century. China wants to be the center of power in Asia Japan once was, and dominate other Asian nations. China’s attitude is extremely likely to cause the next war. While I am a religious leader I still want to do anything in my power to avoid this situation.

In my opinion, instead of following expansionist ambition, China needs to pay more attention to domestic issues. First of all, China needs to understand what democracy really means. As democracy and freedom have strong roots in Taiwan, they should keep the spirit. We do not hope Taiwan to move towards a communist society in which people stop believing in religion and working diligently.

After WWII, due to the deadlock of communism, the Chinese mainland governed by Beijing became ‘Taiwanized’. Although populated by the same people, Taiwan’s economy flourished, while millions of Chinese people under Communist rule were forced to live in poverty. Like mainland China, Taiwan is home to many groups of Han people and does not dramatically differ from the mainland in terms of ethnicity. Still, Taiwan prospered and China did not. In short, the development of a country depends on its style of government rather than its people’s ethnicity.

Influenced more strongly by Taiwan, the South of China began to engage in modernization, and ‘Taiwanization’ occurred in mainland China. This should have led to China acknowledging its mistakes but its modernization efforts stopped at the economic level, and this situation continues to the present day. China’s main issue now is whether it can manage to finally go beyond mere economic parameters and modernize its basic political stance and philosophy. (end of quote)