On the one hand, Mr. Cooper and I could feel frustrated, because the Chinese dissidents have yet to heed our advice. (They have yet to heed our advice, but they keep inviting us back into the discussion, which is encouraging.)

On the other hand, we can now ask, will the CDP at this global congress now begin working together as a political party? Hence the question in my headline: Is the Chinese Democratic Party ready to come of age?

Dissident Unity Imperative

Chinese dissidents are well aware that through 2006, 17 million people quit the CCP. Admittedly, that is a raw number, unadjusted for duplicates and faulty submissions, but that top line counter number could very possibly double by the end of this year. This number of people leaving the Chinese Communist Party is unsustainable in the long run. Party collapse could occur before the Beijing Olympics that are slated to occur next year in 2008.

In many ways, the dissidents have a splendid situation that was arranged for them by the Epoch Times and by Falun Gong. Falun Gong practitioners prefer "no political involvement," which means that they are not ambitious to run China.

But the CDP is not Falun Gong, and its nature is that of a political party. CDP would not mind running China; in fact that is a long standing ambition in the scope of its work. When the Epoch Times and Falun Gong started the jiuping / tuidang campaign, they made it clear that in looking at the CCP, they said—"no more of this." Jiuping and tuidang answer one question, "What are they against?"

However, those campaigns leave open the question, "What are they for? What are they in favor of to replace the CCP?" Those campaigns offer high-minded ideals about justice and restoring Chinese traditional culture.

However, "truth, justice, and the Chinese way" is a blandishment that does not answer questions as to who should lead; who should rule; and who should set policies for the Chinese nation. In the absence of the CCP, there is a void in this area, and it is the hope, the aspiration, and the ambition of China's political dissidents to step into that void and to fill the leadership vacuum that is left when the CCP is counted out.

The jiuping and tuidang campaigns, while they are essential, chronicle the past and present, not the future. There is a natural question, to wit—"Where is all of this going"? I believe this question must be answered with reference to China's political dissidents. CDP's global congress comes at a crucial time in the history of their movement. This is a time when leadership must emerge. The crisis in China has been deepening; the pressures on the regime have been building; the stakes have been rising; and now good dissident leadership could clarify the answer to the question, "What is next?" The upcoming congress is a very important one, and we must all congratulate the attendees and wish them well, good luck, and great success in their historic endeavors.

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