First, it must be one understood and supported by the American people. The thirty year tradition of secrecy in China policy, of Congress and the White House at loggerheads, of executive actions in the teeth of public opinion-all of that must come to an end. The administration must be candid with the American people and the world about every aspect of the policy, from the good things, such as releases of prisoners and mutually advantageous trade, to the problems-such as espionage, military development, repression, and so forth. Second, the policy must begin with our allies and friends, and not with Beijing. We must adopt a positive policy, developed through extensive preliminary consultation with other interested states.
Symbolic actions are important here.
Taiwan, after all, took the brave action of releasing political prisoners and allowing the exiles to return at a time when it had almost zero international status. Korea and the Philippines have shown the path to Asian democracy. China, which is far stronger, has shied away from any similar action. Not the democratizers. If these are firm, I am confident that Asia will be relatively peaceful.