China's Best Hope

The signatories, later joined by thousands more, asked where China was heading in the twenty-first century: "Will it continue with 'modernization' under authoritarian rule, or will it embrace universal human values, join the mainstream of civilized nations, and build a democratic system?" 

There is nothing incendiary about Charter 08, no call for violent rebellion, no thirst for revenge or retribution. It merely asks for what citizens of all liberal democracies take for granted: the right to question government policies, protection of human rights, an independent judiciary, and multi-party elections.