On August 23 in Kinmen, an offshore island of Taiwan that is situated closely to the southeastern coast of China, President Chen Shui-bian attended the celebration of the "48th Anniversary of the Victory in 823 Cannon War." He said in his remarks delivered in the celebration that only a strong national defense can help attain Taiwan's everlasting peace.
The "823 Cannon War" broke out at 6:30 p.m. on August 23, 1958, when China started to bombard Kinmen with more than 40,000 rounds of artillery fire within two hours. During the 44 days of the artillery duel, the Communist army fired about 475,000 shells to the ground of the small island, whose land covers only 148km2. However, the bravery and perseverance of Taiwan's armed forces finally compelled Communist China to cease fire, proclaiming the victory in the "823 Cannon War."
In the celebration, the president also informed the attendees that on September 3, Taiwan's Armed Forces Day, he will be leaving for the Republic of Palau to attend the first Taiwan-South Pacific Countries Leaders' Summit. Therefore, he wished beforehand all military personnel a happy Armed Forces Day.
After the ceremony, the president officiated at the celebration's worship ceremony, which was dedicated to honoring the martyrs who died in the "823 Cannon War."