Overthrow the Chinese Communist Party and Rebuild the Republic
-- Declaration of the Chinese Democracy Movement’s First Congress on China’s Directions
On March 2 and 3, 2024, we, a group of people from all walks of life who had long been committed to the cause of freedoms and democracy in China, after lively debates, reached the following consensus on the democratization process of China and a plan for building a democratic China.
1. Currently, the autocratic ruling of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is facing internal and external turmoil. Xi Jinping’s dictatorship has consolidated the totalitarian system, exacerbating the possibility of dramatic changes in China. Thus, an opportunity for China's democratization has thrusted upon us. At this critical juncture, those who have been looking forward to such a transformation should carefully examine the current state of China and study relevant experiences and lessons of other countries around the world, and draft plans and ways to rebuild a constitutional political institution in China.
2. To build a democratic nation, we must first overthrow the tyranny of the CCP and establish a free, equal, just, and harmonious civil society. We should encourage and promote all forms of people’s fights against the cruel regime, support people’s uprisings, mutinies, and coups aimed at ending the tyranny, encourage professional organizations and institutions to participate in such movements, call on the military and police to stand with the people, and urge key party and government officials within the ruling group to decisively terminate the CCP’s tyranny and meet people's demand for democratization.
3. Upon the termination of the cruel regime, representatives of all stakeholders will, through negotiations, establish a provisional government to administer state affairs in the interim, which shall ban the CCP from all state apparatuses, release all prisoners of conscience confined by the CCP, confiscate the archives of the CCP’s tyrannical and atrocious institutions, maintain economic and social operations, hold round table conferences to formulate a new constitution, have a new government elected to take over the governance in accordance with the new constitution, and accomplish the transition between the old regime and the new government.
4. The newborn democracy shall respect and protect the citizens’ rights as stipulated by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, prohibit infringements of the citizens' freedoms of speech, publication, press, association, assembly, and demonstration, strictly forbidden encroachments of individual and religious freedoms and property ownership. In particular, it shall legislate protection of farmers' land rights and entrepreneurs' ownership rights, and shall not infringe upon private property rights.
5. The government of the democratic China shall be formed by open, equal, and rules-based citizen elections and govern in accordance with the law. Government institutions forced upon the people without the citizens’ direct or indirect authorization is a tyranny. In the case legal means for replacing a government are blocked, the people shall have the right to overthrow a tyranny.
6. The government of the democratic China shall implement separation of the legislative, executive, and judicial powers in accordance with constitutional principles. The national governance institutions, including the police, shall maintain a neutral stance in political life. No political party shall be allowed to operate within the national governance institutions. The government shall exercise its authority in accordance with the law, and shall be strictly prohibited from abusing its power and forcing citizens to comply with illegal government decrees.
7. The democratic China shall have an independent judicial system, which shall protect the basic rights of the citizens and maintain normal operations of the society. Every individual shall be equal under the law. When their rights and interests are infringed, citizens shall have the right to seek judicial relief. Manipulations of the judicial system is strictly forbidden.
8. The democratic China shall have nationalized armed forces, which shall have three fundamental missions of safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, resisting foreign aggressions, and allying with other democratic countries to maintain world peace. The armed forces shall remain politically neutral and not be involved in politics. Service members are not allowed to join political parties. The name of the armed forces shall be changed to the National Defense Forces with the democratically elected president as its commander-in-chief. The current armed police shall be reorganized into local guard forces, which shall have responsibilities of maintaining local order in peacetime and may be incorporated into the National Defense Force in wartime.
9. The government of the democratic China shall maintain healthy and fair operations of the economy and finance, establish a reasonable social security system, promote developments of science, education, culture, health, and ecology protection, and protect equal development opportunities for the citizens. The democratic China shall protect rights of disadvantaged groups and promote equal sharing of development and participation opportunities for all ethnic groups and communities.
10. The democratic China shall cooperate with the free and democratic world, actively participate in maintaining a rules-based international order, combat international terrorism and authoritarian forces, and support developments of democracy and freedoms around the world.
We sincerely hope that all who agree with us will cosign our declaration! Information on how to do so will follow in near future.
