But the pace is slow. It is too slow given the fact that comparisons are made with Taiwan. That lead will be hard to cut. It won't be for many years. One solution is for China to applaud and copy Taiwan's democratization rather than condemning it.
Condemnation looks bad.
It gives the appearance in the United States that China is behind the times, that it rejects democracy and that it is hostile toward the idea of the world democratizing and America's role in that process. But Chinese leaders detest Taiwan and see its democratization as a threat. China's democratization is also too slow given the fact that many perceive that China has been overcome by irrational nationalism and is gravitating toward militarism, fascism and an aggressive foreign policy. In view of the arguments made above, it may be concluded that the United States will continue to favor Taiwan over China and that Washington-Beijing relations will remain strained because of that into the foreseeable future or until China democratizes. John F. Copper is the Stanley J. Buckman Professor of International Studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee.