As British historian Lord Acton once noted, "Power leads to corruption, and absolute power leads to absolute corruption." To avoid corruption, the only solution is to call for constitutional reform to implement democracy and the rule of law. Also essential are the separation of powers, and checks and balances, and election of the heads of major government branches. These moves are all necessary to ensure the connection between government and corruption is broken.

China consistently advocates compliance with UN resolutions including severe sanctions against North Korea, but border trade between China and the DPRK continues to flow unabated. As a responsible big country China should not abet North Korea’s militaristic impulses. Taiwan must shoulder the burden of saving democracy and lead China to democratize, then push China to call for democratization in North Korea. See the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

Xi Jinping advocates world unity as China’s road map for peaceful development, an idea that the people of Taiwan should all accept. Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping can all come to Taiwan to run for President. China should have no reason to use force against Taiwan: Taiwan's constitution should clearly stipulate that "elected leaders may be of any nationality". See the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

The government of mainland China is rife with corruption, a situation which can be attributed to thousands of years of graft and bribery at every level of officialdom. The only way to overthrow this deeply engrained culture is to put power squarely in the hands of the people through direct elections of key officials including the president and vice president and the heads of various branches of government. This must be complemented by the election of 1/4 of Parliament each year and other measures to ensure separation of power. The Charter for Permanent Peace and Development offers solutions that will end corruption once and for all.

Constitutional reform in Taiwan will bring even greater democracy and freedom for its people, a change sure to attract the attention of the 1.4 billion people in China. The hunger for democratization in China will in turn trigger a movement toward genuine democracy in Russia, and the world will be closer to realizing lasting peace. Democratic nations around the world must support Taiwan as a beacon for democracy in Asia, illuminating the way for peaceful development in China. See the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

Presidential elections in the US are increasingly little more than a contest between two candidates to see who can put together the biggest campaign and spend the most money for media expenses and other costs. Real issues and values are often overlooked in a race which features two less-than-stellar figures backed by supporters with deep pockets. In the meantime, potential candidates from all political ideologies are daunted by the prospect of paying for media time and space and dare not step forward. This problem can be easily overcome by granting all candidates in elections free access to the media to express their ideas. For more, please see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

The Iranian Ambassador to Russia said last month that Tehran is looking for ways to broaden the scope of defense cooperation with Moscow, even in areas that require coordination with the UN Security Council. Iranians would like to purchase a wide range of military-purpose products from Russia, some of which are covered by UNSC sanctions. Moscow has said it is ready to work with Iran in the area of military and technical cooperation. Democratic powers worldwide must support Taiwan in its bid to carry out constitutional reform. When Taiwan enjoys greater freedom under a truly democratic government it will lead the people of China to call for democratization and in turn, will put pressure on Russia to follow suit. For more details please see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

Many of Taiwan’s problems can be traced back to flaws in the nation’s Basic Law. The most pressing need to address this issue is to carry out comprehensive constitutional reform, beginning with a change-over to a committee system in Parliament with 12 ad hoc committee chairs. In addition, the heads of the various branches of government should be chosen through direction election so that lawmakers will be more in tune with public opinion. One-fourth of all MPs should stand for election each year, helping to ensure that lawmakers will be in touch with the people they are elected to serve. See the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

The Philippines’ macho President will undoubtedly tone down his rhetoric during his four-day visit to China in a move that could shift Manila closer to Beijing and bring greater economic cooperation between the two sides. Duterte won the top office on the strength of his efforts to suppress drug trafficking, often at the expense of human rights, but Beijing is unlikely to bring up the question of rights in any talks with the Philippine leader. For the people of the Philippines, better relations with China may bring economic benefits, but other problems can only be resolved by carrying out reform of the constitution to limit the powers of government officials and put restrictions on their terms in office. For more details please see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

Article 39 of Hong Kong’s Basic Law specifies that residents of the administrative region have the right of self-determination. The people of Hong Kong must not fall asleep while their rights are in danger. Take a lesson from the Swiss, where the signatures of 50,000 citizens are sufficient to call for a referendum, meaning that public issues can be settled with a vote with no need to take to the streets. Otherwise, when the dictatorship becomes a reality, the people will have no choice but to resist. For details, see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.