President Ma Ying-Jeou of the Republic of China (Taiwan) is both elated and humbled by a highly acclaimed Award that he received last month.
He was this year’s recipient of the ‘Eisenhower Medallion’ given by People to People International, an organisation dedicated to promoting peace, goodwill and friendship among leaders and ordinary people worldwide. Its owes its origin to US President Dwight D Eisenhower, who launched the ‘People to People Programme’ as a part of the US Information Agency in 1956. The Programme emphasises personal diplomacy and non-governmental contacts between people. But it also recognises and rewards Heads of Governments, Ambassadors and business leaders for their peace initiatives.
Stronger determination
President Ma said that as a recipient of the Eisenhower Medallion, he was more determined to preserve peace in the Asia Pacific region.
“I will continue to work hard with my compatriots to uphold regional peace and stability. I also look forward to sharing with people everywhere the compassion and concern for humanity that people in Taiwan have always felt so strongly,” he said in his acceptance speech at the Award Ceremony held on September 19, 2014.
He said that as the President of the ROC (Taiwan), he reiterated the commitment of his people to pursue peace for the benefit of humanity in general.
Three factors
He cited three reasons for accepting the Award. They were (a) the desire of the ROC (Taiwan) to be a peacemaker and the Award is consistent with the national goal (b) People to People International was founded by President Eisenhower, a great statesman and (c) this was the first Award that he received from a foreign organisation.
“Before his official inauguration on January 20, 1953, President Eisenhower visited Korea and expressed his determination to bring the Korean War to an end quickly. The Korean Armistice Agreement was signed on July 27, 1953, ending three years of war. His resolve to promote peace in East Asia was truly admirable,” he said.
President Eisenhower sent his Vice-President (Richard Nixon) to Taiwan in November 1953 to meet then President Chiang Kai-shek and assure him of the security of Taiwan and Penghu. The Mutual Defense Treaty between the US and the ROC signed in December 1954 for a further guarantee of safeguarding the territorial integrity. The Formosa Revolution adopted by the US Congress in 1955 authorised the US President to send troops to defend Taiwan and make available the US Seventh Fleet in the defense of the Taiwan Strait.
Guarding the Strait
President Ma said that another critical decision made by President Eisenhower was to support the ROC during the 1958 crisis in the Taiwan Strait (August 23 Artillery War of Kinmen), by supplying military equipment and dispatching US forces to positions three nautical miles outside Kinmen.
“Following this crisis, Eisenhower sent the then Secretary of State John Foster Dulles to Taiwan. Dulles and President Chiang issued a joint communiqué emphasising that the foundation and principal means of the ROC is restoring freedom to its people on the mainland would be political, rather than military, thus instituting an important change in strategy. About 56 years have passed since the crisis, and many people have forgotten that more than 470,000 artillery shells hit Kinmen, an island of less than 150 square kilometers. Without such strong US support, it would have been very difficult for us to resist such a fierce attack from mainland China,” he said.
Taiwan visit
He recalled the visit of President Eisenhower to Taiwan on June 18, 1960, during which he issued a joint statement with President Chiang, reinstating his country’s resolve to work with the ROC Government to contain any provocative actions threatening the security of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu.
During World War II, Eisenhower was the most prominent commander in the liberation of North Africa and Europe, a truly world-class military hero. He knew that to maintain peace one had to be prepared. He was the greatest proponent of peace, yet the greatest warrior, President M said.
“Seventy years ago, on June 6, Eisenhower commanded the largest military force on earth, nearly 1.3 million soldiers, in the legendary victory at Normandy. Following his retirement from the military in 1948, he served as president of Columbia University. He thus had distinguished career in the army, at a prestigious Ivy League university, and as supreme commander of NATO. We cannot help but admire his remarkable accomplishments in both the military and civilian spheres,” he said.
President Ma said that he was aware of the importance of peace in solving many issues.
“After becoming President, I immediately dedicated myself to the task of improving Cross-Strait relations, leading to the most peaceful and prosperous conditions between Taiwan and mainland China in 65 years. Over the past six years, annual two-way visits have now reached 8 million, with over 3 million mainland Chinese travellers coming to Taiwan each year. Before I took office, only about 800 mainland students per year came to Taiwan compared to 25,000 at present,” he said.
