President Ma Ying-jeou called on Beijing Saturday to demonstrate the 'greatest possible tolerance' towards its dissidents. 'The pursuit of democracy and human rights has always been my top priority throughout my political career, and both Taiwan and China, as signatories to the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic and Cultural Rights, should have the 'greatest possible tolerance' of those who express their opinions in a peaceful way, ' Ma said in the wake of the sentencing to 11 years in prison of renowned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo by a Beijing court the previous day. Liu, a co-author of 'Charter 08, ' which calls for an end to Communist Party of China rule and the implementation of constitutional democracy in China, was detained just before it was released last December. More than 300 people, including some of China's top intellectuals, have signed the charter. Liu's 11-year sentence on charges of 'inciting subversion of state power,' a unique term used by China to prosecute dissenters, is the longest that Beijing has ever given to any dissident, and many political observers see it as a signal that China will start dealing even more harshly with dissenters in its efforts to 'maintain social stability.' A day earlier, opposition Democratic Progressive Party spokeswoman Hsiao Bi-khim accused Ma, who during his term as Taipei mayor championed the rights of Tiananmen Massacre protesters, of staying silent about China's gross violations of human rights since taking office. Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MSC), the agency in charge of China affairs, said that same day that Liu's sentence serves as a test of the Chinese government's approach to dealing with human rights. MAC Vice Chairman Liu Teh-shun said human rights are universal values and that all governments around the world should endeavor to ensure that their citizens enjoy their human rights. 