The first Democratic Pacific Assembly wrapped up in Taipei on September 21. Participants from 24 nations agreed to the eventual formation of a Democratic Pacific Union as a way of promoting democracy in the Pacific region.

The key objectives of such an alliance, as outlined in its resolution, are the promotion and protection of democracy and human rights, advancement of peace and human security, reduction of poverty, and facilitation of regional cooperation in trade, sustainable development and prosperity.

At the closing session, the assembly declared that it is necessary to establish such a union because countries in the Pacific region are being faced with various challenges from the forces of globalization.

In addition to an agreement to set up a preparatory secretariat in Taipei and hold the second Democratic Pacific Assembly in Taiwan again next year, a proposal that the assembly deliver a formal letter to the United Nations and the World Health Organization in support of Taiwan's official status within the health body was carried. The proposal was tabled by New Zealand parliamentarian Paul Hutchison The three-day conference was co-chaired by Vice President Annette Lu and Benjamin Gilman, former chair of the Foreign Relations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Among foreign guests taking part in the event were the vice presidents of Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama; former Ecuadorian President Jamil Mahuad Witt; members of parliament from Japan and South Korea; and Nobel laureate Robert Mundell, who delivered a speech on European integration. Many ROC government officials and Taiwanese academics attended the event to add their voices to the call for a democratic Pacific region.

In a speech delivered at the opening of the conference, President Chen Shui-bian promised that Taiwan would meet its international commitments and cooperate with its democratic partners to bring about a more prosperous and peaceful Pacific Rim.

"Over the past five decades, Taiwan has transformed from an authoritarian state to a democracy," said Chen. "However, democracy is not the island nation's only asset. We believe that Taiwan, with its strategic location in the western Pacific area, is able to play a more constructive role in promoting regional peace, security and prosperity.

"By organizing this conference, Taiwan is once again demonstrating to the world its determination to take on a much more pivotal role in international affairs," continued Chen. "Taiwan has the ability to partner with the democratic countries of the region to form a Democratic Pacific Union, and it will help bring those not-yet-democratized countries into the fold." The vice president also gave a speech at the opening of the conference. Lu pitched the establishment of a regional alliance of democracies as a way of ensuring sustainable development in the Pacific region.

"Countries in the Pacific region have long experienced rapid development and enjoyed rich natural resources granted by the ocean," said Lu. "However, most countries nowadays are faced with grave problems such as environmental degradation, the green house effect, gradual depletion of marine resources, and ever-growing competition for limited resources due to rapid population growth," she said.

She suggested that solving these problems would require a coordinated effort on the part of countries throughout the Pacific. "Regional integration has become a major trend in the world today," she continued, citing the European Union, the Central American Integration System and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as examples.

"The reason regional integration is still impossible in Asia is that 15 of the 39 nations on the continent still do not enjoy democratic systems of government, not to mention the fact that four of the world's five remaining communist regimes are Asian," noted Lu.

Speaking at the event attended by participants from around the region, Lu took the opportunity to espouse her theory of Taiwan's "soft power." The vice president defined soft power as a collection of five virtues: human rights, democracy, peace, love and high technology. She credits it for Taiwan's economic and democratic progress over the past five decades.

Until the entire continent of Asia has become democratic, suggested Lu, Taiwan should be allowed to contribute toward the development of a new Pacific civilization. She advocated that such a civilization should adopt her theory of soft power as its value system, thus preventing the Pacific from becoming a battlefield devastated by "hard power," -- Lu's term for exploitative materialism and aggressive militarism.

The vice president suggested that, in the near future, the assembly be transformed into the Democratic Pacific Union. Although such a union would be a nongovernmental organization, she suggested that it someday become official.

"Taiwan is not alone in the international community. Although military intimidation from across the Taiwan Strait continues unabated, Taiwan has found a way to resist China's threats -- by joining forces with all democratic countries in the Asia-Pacific region," Lu told the assembly.

Gilman called on all democratic countries in the Asia-Pacific to urge China to liberalize its system of government and respect the rule of law. He also suggested that participating countries use the occasion to form the alliance based on cooperation and mutual benefit.

The theme for this year's assembly was "The Common Future of the 21st-Century Pacific." Several panels were held to discuss four main topics: democratic development, ocean development, human security and economic prosperity.

Two academics from the United States urged caution against the repressive governments of China and North Korea. Joseph Bosco, a professor at Georgetown University, referred to China as a threat to the security of not only Taiwan but also the world at large. Proof of Beijing's belligerence can be found in its aggressive military buildup, support for North Korea's nuclear-weapons program, deployment of missiles along its southeastern coastline and sales of weapons to terrorist-sponsoring nations, indicated Bosco.

Max Boot, a researcher at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, called on the United States to make it clear that it will not stand idly by as other countries seek to present a nuclear threat to their neighbors. Taiwan should join Japan and the United States -- countries also under threat of military attack -- as well as other peace-loving nations to stop the flow of weapons into North Korea, opined Boot. He added that measures taken to this end may include ousting the authoritarian regime in Pyongyang as a last-ditch effort to check that country's nuclear ambitions.

Paige Miller, an official with the Port of Seattle, appealed for global cooperation in the fight against terrorism. There are no 100-percent sure security measures, said Miller, as terrorists could manage to find a way to pass through security checks as long as they are determined to wreak havoc. Although the shadow of terrorism still lingers, the United States, which is pleased to have cultural and trade exchanges with other countries, welcomes all peoples to set foot on its soil, Miller asserted.

Kusaka Kimindo, chairman of the Tokyo Foundation in Japan and a scholar specializing in Soviet affairs, cited the collapse of the Soviet Union to demonstrate the close relationship between democratization and political change. Beijing, which appears to have balanced socialism with a market economy, has done no more than pay lip service to political reform, opined Kimindo. He advised against neglecting the potential conflict between political and economic development, adding that it remains to be seen how the economic development in China will bring about political change there.

Miami-based Cuban-American activist Orlando Gutierrez noted that the Cuban people's consciousness has undergone a gradual change ever since Soviet economic aid to Cuba was cut off in 1991. The island's communist government is no longer able to exercise strict control over economic activities as before, he noted. He expressed his hope that democracy and a free-election system would someday be instituted in Cuba.

Wu Rong-i, president of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research, suggested that Asia-Pacific nations cooperate to prevent a repeat of the 1997 financial crisis, which hit Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and other countries in the region hard. Wu offered this as proof that the destiny of the Asia-Pacific economies are intertwined and that regional cooperation is crucial to economic recovery.