The new ambassador to Washington is a man of parts. He is at home in both the Chinese and the English languages. He is an accomplished speaker, art connoisseur and an amateur Chinese painter. In his younger days, he was a good sportsman. He played better than average golf and is a good shot. He has won many friends for China by his amiable personality and superior intellect.
He received his education from among the best colleges in America and England. He taught in some of our best universities. His diplomatic career started in the Peking days as a translator on piecework basis in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Not having made much headway, he dabbled at journalism. During the war, he was connected with the Ministry of Information. After he joined the Foreign Ministry the second time in 1946, he had been rising steadily in rank till he graduated from it cum laude after nearly ten years of ministership. His assumption of the portfolio of Foreign Minister started after the Chinese Communists had overrun the mainland and lasted all the years since the government's removal to Taiwan. The year 1949 when he first became Foreign Minister saw the nadir of our national fortune. It was the darkest hour in Chinese history. Diplomatically, China was written off as bad business. Even some of our best friends were afraid to be seen speaking to us.
From such an unenviable situation, George Yeh has painstakingly (he oftentimes puts in sixteen hours of work in a day of twenty-four) repaired China's diplomatic fence. He made peace with former enemy states and strengthened our ties with former friends and allies. Whereas ten years ago China was nearly an outcast among the nations, by the time he handed over the Foreign Ministry to his successor China had won the friendship and good will of by far the majority of nations to her side. Not all of this was the working of one man, of course, but as minister in charge of foreign affairs a good deal of credit was due to him.
There is no pending question between China and the United States that cannot be settled between friends with a little spirit of give and take. However, there is one problem that has been plaguing the two governments all the time - the agitation for the recognition of the Peiping regime. For more than eight years the Soviets have sought by means fair or foul to gain entry for the Peiping regime into the United Nations at the expense of the government of the Republic of China. If their scheme should succeed, the United States would have lost the most steadfast ally it has in that world body. What with the neutralist countries and Soviet satellites, it is quite conceivable that the lone role now played by Soviet Russia in the Security Council will be reversed and played by the United States. It may be argued that surely Britain, one of America's old allies, would not range herself against the United States; but Britain under the Labor government certainly would. In fact Bevan has more points in common with Khrushchev than with Eisenhower.
Under the aegis of Moscow, international Communists have gone all out to agitate for the admission of Peiping in to the United Nations. They are making a concerted effort with the help of some of America's Western allies and neutralist countries and some elements of the American people themselves - trade interests, leftist intellectuals, etc. Pressure on the American government takes so many forms and comes from so many quarters that it is all that that government could do to maintain its chartered course of non-recognition.
With his experience in fighting Communism and forestalling Communist designs, Dr. Yeh in Washington should be able to make valuable contributions to the free world in mapping out a common course of action against the Peiping regime. In wishing his mission success we are in effect holding out hope for all the free nations in the world.