President Ma pens tribute in memory of Dr. Hungdah Chiu
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Dr. Hungdah Chiu was a giant among men. A model of good taste and probity, and a man of deep learning, he served in his lifetime as a Minister Without Portfolio and Ambassador at Large for the Republic of China (ROC), and Professor Emeritus of Law at the University of Maryland. After graduating with a degree in law from National Taiwan University, he journeyed abroad to further his legal studies at Harvard University, where he completed a doctorate in juridical science and became widely noted early on for his keen mind. He went on to teach law at National Taiwan University, National Chengchi University, and the University of Maryland. Dr. Chiu excelled in this capacity, and cultivated many generations of new scholars. He devoted his entire career to the study of international law, and was intimately familiar with the Chinese legal tradition. He always set forth his tightly reasoned views with solid argumentation. In the course of his work, he stood as a bulwark in defense of our nation’s sovereignty and its ownership of the ROC embassy and residence in Washington, DC, where his contributions to ROC-US friendship were numerous and extremely valuable. Dr. Chiu is especially well known as the author of 現代國際法 (Modern International Law), an extraordinary work of scholarship in which his rigorous thinking and acute legal mind are on brilliant display. The book remains to this day a must read for all law students and legal scholars in Taiwan. In time he would be appointed as Minister Without Portfolio, a member of the National Unification Council, Ambassador at Large, Chairman of the Chinese (Taiwan) Society of International Law, and President of the International Law Association. In all of these prestigious posts, he spoke with a strong and clear voice in support of democratic reform, and actively sought to promote peaceful cross-strait relations. Quite clearly, he was a man of superior vision and foresight, and these superb qualities were recognized with the awarding of the Order of Brilliant Star with Special Grand Cordon by the ROC president in 2009. This gifted man stood out as a model of the scholar who devotes his career to the good of the nation; this formidably insightful man was the living archetype of a life that makes the world a better place for all. His legacy lives on in the fruit of his labors and the fond memories he leaves behind; his erudition and sterling character will be remembered in the annals of history. It is sad to see such a great man pass away, and proper that we should give full expression to the praise he so richly deserves. With this tribute, the Government of the Republic of China expresses its deepest regard for a truly remarkable human being.