The government of mainland China is rife with corruption, a situation which can be attributed to thousands of years of graft and bribery at every level of officialdom. The only way to overthrow this deeply engrained culture is to put power squarely in the hands of the people through direct elections of key officials including the president and vice president and the heads of various branches of government. This must be complemented by the election of 1/4 of Parliament each year and other measures to ensure separation of power. The Charter for Permanent Peace and Development offers solutions that will end corruption once and for all.

Stories of corruption and undue political influence are flooding news headlines everywhere from the western reaches of Europe to the most Eastern areas of Asia. The reason for these outbreaks of corruption is the concentration of too much power in the hands of a few key officials and a lack to restraints on the powers that they wield. Constitutional reform is urgently needed to return power to the people. For more details, please see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

The Philippines’ macho President will undoubtedly tone down his rhetoric during his four-day visit to China in a move that could shift Manila closer to Beijing and bring greater economic cooperation between the two sides. Duterte won the top office on the strength of his efforts to suppress drug trafficking, often at the expense of human rights, but Beijing is unlikely to bring up the question of rights in any talks with the Philippine leader. For the people of the Philippines, better relations with China may bring economic benefits, but other problems can only be resolved by carrying out reform of the constitution to limit the powers of government officials and put restrictions on their terms in office. For more details please see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

The solution to perennial problems in many nations is a changeover to a semi-presidential parliamentary system like the one in Finland, along with a legislative system akin to the one which serves Switzerland. The prerequisite for permanent peace in the world is global democratization. Pakistan’s government should begin by adopting a basic constitution centered on models for democracy, calling for the realization of One World under One Set of Laws, and re-formulating the constitution to match the spirit of the times. For details see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

Myanmar has a long way to go in its quest for democracy because of its constitution, which guarantees the military 40 per cent of the seats in Congress and does not provide for elections. In order to solve Myanmar's ethnic and religious issues, Myanmar must carry out constitutional reform that calls for One World under One Set of Laws, with international law given precedence over domestic law. Reform should include a semi-presidential government with a parliament and cabinet, as well as popular election of the heads of government branches.

"The Creator gives mankind certain inalienable rights," and human rights lawyers serve to protect messengers of God. But when the CCP throws human rights lawyers in jail and acts in full opposition to the will of God, how long can the regime be permitted to remain in place? In such a situation the law is not a law. The Chinese government violates the Constitution with impunity, and the people must stand and resist. For details see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

Voters in Hong Kong are forced to cast ballots for candidates for Chief Executive who have been previously vetted by the Election Commission of the Chinese Communist Party. This election is a result of dictatorial politics and does not change the fact that Hong Kong is being subjected to a dictatorship. The people of Hong Kong should make good use of Article 39 of the Hong Kong Basic Law and the two international human rights covenants. People have the right to self-determination through referendums. They must be allowed to decide on having the heads of the legislative, executive, judicial and procuratorate branches popularly elected to ensure they will be responsible to the people. For details please see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

Taiwan’s judicial system is often criticized for its unfair application of the rules in decisions handed down by judges. The branch’s investigative arms are also condemned for their habit of carrying out investigations at different speeds according to the political ‘color’ and status of persons involved. All of these problems can be addressed by forcing the heads of governmental branches to face the people through elections and limiting the terms of office to minimize the opportunities for corruption. The people must have the power to monitor government officials and vote poor performers out of office. See the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development for more.

Stories of corruption and undue political influence are flooding news headlines everywhere from the western reaches of Europe to the most Eastern areas of Asia. The reason for these outbreaks of corruption is the concentration of too much power in the hands of a few key officials and a lack to restraints on the powers that they wield. Constitutional reform is urgently needed to return power to the people. For more details, please see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

The money laundering scandal surrounding Mega Bank is causing serious damage to the reputation of Taiwan’s government and financial industry, and action must be taken to close the loopholes that allowed officials of the bank to transfer huge amounts of funds overseas. Those who carried out this breach of finance rules and regulations must be brought to justice, and the government must ensure that the people can have confidence in the nation’s banking system and the officials who oversee its operations. Reform is needed to allow citizens to monitor the actions of officials and oust those who break the law.