President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of December 17 attended the opening of a special exhibit called "American Footsteps in Taiwan, 1950-1980," which is being jointly held by the American Institute in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National Central Library. After delivering remarks, the president presided over a ribbon-cutting ceremony to formally inaugurate the exhibit.
The president stated that the history of the ROC dates back nearly 100 years and that the United States has played a critical role over this period with respect to both the ROC and Taiwan. The United States declared war after being attacked at Pearl Harbor, and the ROC acted shortly thereafter by formally declaring war against Japan on December 9, 1941. The ROC also abrogated all treaties signed with Japan, including the Treaty of Shimonoseki, he said. Two years later at the Cairo Conference, Taiwan's retrocession to the ROC was included in the Cairo Declaration with the support of the United States. The declaration specified that “all the territories Japan has stolen from the Chinese, such as Manchuria, Formosa, and The Pescadores, shall be restored to the Republic of China.” The provisions of this decisive document would be incorporated into Japanese Instrument of Surrender, and confirmed Taiwan's retrocession to the ROC, he said.
Regarding the assistance provided by the United States to the ROC in the past, the president remarked that shortly after the Nationalist government relocated to Taiwan, the Korean War erupted on June 25, 1950. Two days later, US President Truman then ordered the Seventh Fleet to guard the Taiwan Strait, thus providing for Taiwan's security. Consequently, the central government within two weeks was able to allow local elections to be held, and the residents of Hualien County chose Taiwan's first directly elected county magistrate, Yang Zhong-jing. This constituted the birth of democracy in Taiwan, he said. The United States provided a total of US$1.5 billion in economic assistance to Taiwan from 1950 to 1965, helping to establish the foundation for Taiwan's post-war economic development. The two countries, he remarked, signed the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States of America and the Republic of China in 1954, further ensuring Taiwan's security.
President Ma also cited his experience when he was a student as an example of the deep friendship between the two countries. He noted that when he was a student at Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School he frequently visited the nearby US Information Service library to read the various periodicals there. He added that when he was a university student, he participated in a US State Department program under which Asia-Pacific student leaders visited the United States. His 70 days there afforded him a deeper understanding of schools, legislative bodies, student organizations, and lifestyles in the United States, and left a deep impression.
The president stated that while the ROC and the United States do not maintain formal diplomatic relations, the two share a core commitment to freedom, democracy, human rights, and rule of law. Bilateral relations have always been quite close, and the president expressed his hope that even closer mutual cooperation and development will be seen in the future.
After concluding his remarks, the president was escorted through the exhibition by Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Chin-tien Yang, Council for Cultural Affairs Minister Emile C.J. Sheng, and AIT Taipei Office Director William A. Stanton.