Addressing the annual meeting of the National Assembly on the 23rd anniversary of the Constitution, the chief executive recalled that he had discussed democracy and ethics in 1968 and wanted to follow up with an analysis of the relationship of science and ethics. Science has made great advances, he said, but world affairs are not moving in such a way as to assure the attainment of one world of happiness, freedom and civilization.
This is because "The perverted, wicked Communists are enlarging the scope of their enslavement at home and their aggression abroad. They have stirred up sanguine class struggle and have cried out for the burial of free humankind. The free world is engaged in a desperate battle to defend its liberty, its independence and its very existence. We are aware that we cannot attain the supreme objective of world fraternity unless we can stop the selfish offensive of the traitor and oligarch Mao Tse-tung and frustrate his ambition to communize the world."
"A phenomenon of grave contradiction has emerged in our world," the President said. "The massive productivity of science has brought about material abundance but without the accompaniment of ethical enhancement. Many people are indulging themselves in materialistic hedonism; many have fallen into degeneration and debauchery; many have lost their moral courage. This inclination toward corruption has contaminated the younger generation in several countries. Appeasement has been encouraged."
President Chiang warned China against falling into pitfalls that have trapped Western communities. He made these four points:
1. That the function of science is to master material power and harness natural forces. Science can be controlled and the criteria must be those of ethics. The overindulgence of human desires and the loss of spiritual direction must be avoided.
2. Science is the offspring of man's spiritual creativity, and the functions of the spirit are larger than those of the merely physical. "Spiritual power is strongest when it is armed with morality." The way to scientific development is through the power of moral spirituality.
3. Science is both visible and invisible. The scientific method and spirit are invisible. The essence of the scientific spirit is a practical endeavor to make the best better. Science emphasizes objectivity, organization, research, truth, division of labor and cooperation. Scientific philosophy and ethical spirit are harmonious.
4. Humanities as well as natural sciences need to be stressed in the promotion of scientific study and construction. Materialism and nihilism are to be shunned and the underlying spirit of Chinese culture upheld.
"We seek an organized democracy and a disciplined freedom that must be built on the foundation of scientific spirit and ethical criteria," the President said. "I hope that we can strengthen and expand our constitutional rule by welding ethics, democracy and science into a single entity."
President Chiang's message opening the 59th year of the Republic recounted the lessons learned in nearly six decades. 'The country was unified and then defeated the Japanese, he said, only to have the Communists shut the mainland behind the Iron Curtain and transform Asia into the center of world crisis. Even so, he said, the Republic of China "has continued to make immense contributions in putting out the flames of Maoist aggression and thus has defended the freedom and peace of the Asian and Pacific region. Our endeavors have abetted the Peiping regime's economic decline and have brought about party and administrative bankruptcy, social chaos and Communist warlordism, a mainland situation even more serious than that in the early days of our Republic. By contrast, we have made rapid progress in constructing our Taiwan citadel on the basis of San Min Chu I (Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People). In promoting all-round development, we have awakened human conscience and have propagated freedom and justice on the mainland political battlefield in the wake of our glorious victories in the battles at Kuningtou in 1949 and the Kinmen Islands in 1958."
"The forces of our National Revolution," the President said, "have defeated the evil and perverted line of class dictatorship in the mainland political arena after crushing the two Maoist military adventures in the Taiwan Straits." Maoists have waged a power seizure campaign and convened the Ninth National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party—all to no avail. The regime has only fallen into new and deeper chaos, paralysis and epileptic convulsions. "The regime's fatal collapse is inevitable," said the leader of free China. "These are the reasons that have led me to say that catastrophic changes can be expected on the mainland at any time."
The people of Taiwan are not only building a strong and prosperous province, he said, but are also striving to enhance regional growth and power. "I have every confidence," he continued, "that the economic wealth of this vast region can be made into a unifying political force. In so doing, we can assure the freedom and security of the region and bring to an end the menaces of harassment, turmoil, infiltration and subversion that are the usual accompaniments of the so-called people's wars sponsored by the despot Mao Tse-tung for his personal aggrandizement."
Compatriots on the mainland are struggling against Mao at the risk of their lives, the chief executive said. "The indignation and spiritual awakening of the 700 million people on the mainland have already led to realization that the highest sagacity lies in the action of Mao Suppression and National Salvation.
"The wise decision of our mainland compatriots to express themselves in action and the patriotism and ingenuity of our armed forces and civilians at home and abroad have been welded into an invisible combat strength which is even stronger than our visible combat potential. This is the moment to employ our invisible might to accelerate the creation, widening and enlargement of the visible strength that is required for counter-attack and national recovery so that we can expedite the final victory of the National Revolution."
Sacrifices lie ahead, President Chiang declared. "All of us know that we shall not win peace by waiting for good fortune. Throughout the years of the long past, we have never ceased to defend peace with our flesh and blood. The struggle for freedom requires the demonstration of moral courage and we are prepared to sacrifice everything for the freedom of our country. The destiny of China is in the hands of the Chinese. Only the Chinese can solve the China problem correctly and completely. Only the government of the Republic of China can lead the people of the country in the common struggle to terminate the Maoist rule of violence and restore freedom to our compatriots."
The President told the people of the mainland that he knows they are prepared to join forces with the army of the National Revolution. Renovation, and progress in Taiwan, he added, assure overall combat strength in "total mobilization for the decisive overthrow of Mao and for national salvation".
"We cannot afford further delay," President Chiang said. "All of you should have unshakeable confidence in the triumph of counterattack and national recovery. There is nothing for us to doubt."
Texts of the two presidential messages will be found in the Documents section.
Economic growth was satisfactory in 1969 despite two late-season typhoons that took a heavy toll of agriculture and were not exactly helpful to industrial production.
The gross national product reached US$4.76 billion, up by 13.36 per cent at current prices and by 8.66 per cent in terms of 1964 prices. The target set in the Fifth Four-Year Economic Development Plan was 7 per cent.
Per capita income was US$258 million, an increase of 7.86 per cent at current prices and 5.21 per cent with allowance for inflation. The figure is among Asia's highest, excluding Japan.
Industrial production accounted for 32.02 per cent of the GNP compared with 30.32 per cent in 1968. Agriculture again declined—from 23.75 to 20.81 per cent. Industrial growth was 19 per cent and agriculture showed a drop of 2.6 per cent, largely due to the damage of typhoons Elsie and Flossie.
Rice production was down 3.45 per cent to 2,430,000 metric tons. Mushroom output slumped by 20,000 m/t (36 per cent) and bananas were off 9.5 per cent at 583,000 m/t.
Foreign trade had another record year with volume of US$2,268 million. Exports climbed by 29 per cent to US$1,087 million and imports by 15 per cent to US$1,181 million. The deficit of US$94 million was about half that in 1968.
Textiles again led exports with volume that approached US$300 million. Especially encouraging was the continued growth of electronics, which exported more than US$100 million worth of products and earned about US$30 million in foreign exchange. Taiwan made about 4 million transistor radios and 1 million TV sets in 163 factories last year.
With economists predicting that Taiwan will find its markets of tomorrow in East Asia, Latin America and Africa, reports on trade with the last named continent were hopeful. Last year's African trade totaled about US$40 million with a favorable balance of some 3 to 1. The gain over 1968 was around 25 per cent. The core trading area is shifting from Northeastern to West Africa.
For 1970, the Board of Foreign Trade is predicting exports and imports of US$2.5 billion with exports of US$1.2 billion. Concern has been expressed, however, about growing foreign resistance to such Taiwan products as textiles, plywood and canned foods. Industry is being urged to modernize, lower production costs, develop new products and engage in more active development of markets.
Taiwan's only serious trade deficit problem concerns Japan-but that problem is getting bigger. The imbalance for 1969 exceeded US$300 million, which meant an advantage of nearly 3 to 1 in favor of the Japanese. Trade officials, businessmen and industrialists of the two countries have been discussing the matter annually but no quick and easy solution is in sight.
Some economists believe that agricultural exports to Japan will become less important and that the Japanese will begin to rely on Taiwan for their low-price light industrial products.
Chinese and Korean industrialists agreed to cooperate more closely in coordinating production and marketing so as to increase the exports of both countries and avoid cutthroat competition. Special measures of coordination will be taken with regard to the plywood, fertilizer, steel and textile industries. Technical cooperation will be increased.
Taiwan private spending was estimated at US$2,747 million in 1969, an increase of 9.9 per cent but only 57.7 per cent of the GNP compared with 59.5 per cent in 1968. Government spending was US$880 million, 18.2 per cent of the GNP versus 17.8 per cent the year before. Capital formation totaled US$1,255 million and 26.3 per cent of the GNP versus 25.7 per cent in 1968.
Foreign and overseas investments added up to about US$110 million last year compared with US$104 million in 1968. For the last 18 years, external investment in Taiwan exceeds US$430 million. Applications approved totaled nearly 1,200, of which about 12 per cent was in electronics. In terms of capital, electronics made up about a third of the total. The United States leads Japan by nearly 3 to 1 in the amount of foreign investments, although Japan has the larger number of investment cases.
Finance Minister K. T. Li told the Legislative Yuan that the prosperity and increasing sophistication of the Taiwan economy should make it possible to list local stock issues on foreign exchanges. He also said the government plans to encourage growth of the Taipei exchange, which has been a disappointing source of capital funds for business and industry.
Minister Li also reported on a healthy budgetary situation. Preliminary figures indicated that 1969 revenue was more than 5 per cent above target, while government expenditures were 1.2 per cent under estimates. The government was able to skip some scheduled bond issues.
He told the American Chamber of Commerce of plans to overhaul the tax and banking systems to meet the needs of a fast-growing, rapidly changing economy. The fiscal approach will emphasize direct taxation, consolidation of indirect taxes, simplification of procedures and the improvement of administration. The bank law will be completely rewritten to provide for orientation to an industrial instead of the traditional agricultural society.
The former Minister of Economic Affairs told U.S. businessmen and industrialists: "President Chiang has repeatedly stated that our future progress lies in the modernization of our entire political, social and economic system and has directed the government agencies at all level to introduce renovations in order to get rid of bureaucratic practices and to increase administrative efficiency."
The Executive Yuan (cabinet) instructed the Ministry of Finance to draw up plans to promote capital formation through tax exemption for income invested in savings that serve the needs of investment and production. School savings and construction bond issues also are planned.
Also under study is compulsory savings of 5 per cent of income derived from government and private enterprises. Mutual funds will be encouraged.
President Chiang Kai-shek was among nearly 200,000 visitors to the 12-day Electronics Exhibition in Taipei. Seven countries participated in the show, the largest ever held in Taiwan. The exhibits were entered by manufacturers from the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia, Holland, Hongkong and the Republic of China. Items totaled more than 2,000.
The exhibition was held in conjunction with the Fifth Asian Electronic Conference, which attracted more than 80 delegates from 17 countries. It was the first such meeting to be held outside Japan. Reports were heard from the participating nations and plans advanced for increased cooperation and technical exchanges.
Vice President C. K. Yen opened the conference and Finance Minister K. T. Li was among the speakers. Convened when the conference adjourned was the First General Assembly of the Asia Electronics Union. Forty representatives from nine countries attended and decided to publish an electronics quarterly and to hold seminars. A computers meeting will be held in Japan this year and the Electronics Union will convene its second assembly in Manila in 1971.
Scheduled for establishment early this year is an Industrial Development Bureau under the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Included will be a committee to screen investment projects. Departments will be in charge of industrial land development, assistance to small and medium industries, textiles, metals and overall improvement of industry and mining.
The present Department of Industry of MOEA will be retained to take charge of policymaking and administration. IDB will be given the tasks of planning and implementation.
Taiwan's first export processing zone at Kaohsiung marked its third anniversary with a report on continuing success. The KEPZ director, M. T. Wu, reported:
- Plant population of 121 with capital of US$25 million. Another 23 plants with capitalization of US$11 million will begin production in 1970. The original target was 120 plants and investment of US$18 million.
- Exports of US$53.3 million in the January-November period. When all plants are in operation, annual export volume will be about US$200 million.
- Employment for 26,000 and expectation of a total of 40,000 jobs, compared with the original forecast of 15,000.
- Technical assistance from 281 foreign specialists and technicians. This training is raising Taiwan's technological level.
Two other export processing zones are nearly ready to accept investment applications. One is at Taichung in central Taiwan and the other is at Nantzu near Kaohsiung. When all three zones are in full production, jobs will total 100,000 and exports US$400 million annually.
Taiwan Power Company said that eight development projects to be completed by the end of 1975 will increase the electric energy supply by 1,793,000 kilowatts. Another contemplated installation is a 600,000-kw thermal plant at Wuchi, the site of Taiwan's fourth international harbor. Industrial growth is expected in the Taichung area of central Taiwan as the port is developed during the 1970s.
These were other industrial notes:
- Taiwan Aluminum Corporation will spend US$15 million on a l00,000-kw thermal power plant at Kaohsiung. Seventy per cent of the output will go to TALCO and the rest to the Taiwan Alkali Co. TALCO's power consumption is usually curtailed when the dry season reduces hydroelectric generation.
- A petroleum refinery will be built at Shenao in northern Taiwan to supplement production of existing facilities at Kaohsiung in the south. Capacity will be 100,000 barrels daily and the cost is estimated at US$30 million. Construction time will be five years.
- Opened at Tashu near Kaohsiung was a US$500,000 plant to produce 300 metric tons of xylose (pentose) worth US$1 million annually. Xylose is a "wood sugar" made from bagasse, the waste of sugar cane production. Dr. Thomas Liao, who renounced his connection with the so-called Taiwan independence movement, and Cheng Wan-fu, who also returned home after severing separatist ties, are the investors.
- Taiwan Sugar Corporation announced plans to build a pulp mill at Pingtung. The raw material will be sugar cane waste.
Vice President and Prime, Minister C. K. Yen said the government is making a study of the railroad system to determine whether it should be left under the Provincial Government or brought under the administration of the Central Government. He said the government has decided to complete the around-the-island railroad system as funds become available.
Answering questions raised in the Legislative Yuan, Vice President Yen said operation of international seaports probably will remain in the hands of the Provincial Government.
The around-the-island railroad will cost about US$136 million and involve construction time of at least five years. The new links will be between Suao and Hualien on the mountainous northeast coast and between Fangliao and Taitung in the south. The narrow-gauge east coast line between Hualien and Taitung will be widened to standard gauge.
Three routes are under study in the south. Distances vary from 103 to 157 kilometers. The Suao-Hualien line will run through the mountains or parallel the coastline, as does the present highway.
Scheduled for completion this year is the Chitu railroad yard near Keelung on the northeast coast. The US$6.75 million installation will be able to handle 3000 cars a day and will relieve congestion in the Taipei-Keelung section of the Taiwan Railway Administration. Double-tracking of the Taipei-Kaohsiung mainline will be completed this year with the driving of the final spike in the 87.6-kilomete Changhua-Tainan section.
Construction is slated to begin in April on the 399-kilometer national expressway to link Keelung and Kaohsiung by way of Taipei. Construction in four stages will take 10 years and cost an estimated US$250 million. There will be six lanes, three each way.
First-stage construction involves the link from Keelung to Erhchung in suburban Taipei. The present MacArthur freeway will be widened and other construction undertaken at Keelung and Taipei.
The second section will link Erhchung with Chungli by way of the Linkou Special District and the projected Taoyuan international airport. The distance is 33 kilometers.
From Chungli, the third section will connect with Hsinshih in Tainan county by way of Hsinchu, Taichung, Changhua, Yunlin county and Chiayi. The distance is 260 kilometers. The last section of 70 kilometers will be between Hsinshih and Kaohsiung.
A special agency will be established to build and operate the expressway, which will recoup its cost from tolls. A feasibility report was made by an American firm of consulting engineers and is in the hands of the Asian Development Bank, which will provide part of the financing.
The government has decided to permit private investment in highways.
Highway construction for 1970 will include US$2 million worth of work on the, west coast trunk highway and about US$1.2 million for a bridge across Green Lake near Taipei. The bridge will be 400 meters long, 15.9 meters wide and will take three years to build. Forty-five bridges will be built or widened along the west coast road.
The Taiwan Highway Bureau will spend more than US$3.5 million on 250 new buses. THB operates the interurban bus system that reaches almost every populated part of the island and carries nearly four times as many passengers as the railroad.
Dr. T. H. Shen, chairman of the Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction, said that while industry is growing faster, agriculture remains of vital importance. Forty-five per cent of the population and 49 per cent of the work force live on farms. Although industry has passed agriculture in exports, it must be kept in mind that farm products do not require the importation of raw materials and components. The foreign exchange gain is nearly 100 per cent.
One of agriculture's biggest problems, Dr. Shen said, is the declining interest of the farmer, who is caught in the bind of a relative decrease in income as a result of higher agricultural wages, higher costs of production and higher taxes. Dr. Shen proposed increased production and marketing efficiency, augmented farm income and profits, and development of mountain resources to assure flood control and water and soil conservation and utilization. Government has been asked to lower fertilizer prices and irrigation power rates.
A survey showed that the income of farm families increased 11.51 per cent in 1968. The study covered 500 households with an average of 8.59 persons each. The income figure was NT$56,854 (US$1=NT$40), an increase of NT$5,869. The average family spent NT$40,719, leaving a surplus of NT$16,134. Food was the biggest farm budget item at 49 per cent.
Typhoon damage from Elsie and Flossie were placed at US$87.5 million, about three quarters of it to private property. The armed forces played a large role in rehabilitation and were sent into the fields to help with the second harvest of rice.
Experiments of JCRR indicated that sawdust is an excellent fertilizer and better than traditional compost for tree seedlings and some crops. The cost is a half to two-thirds of that for compost.
Eleven agricultural academic societies held their annual joint convention at Kaohsiung. Some 1,500 of the 5,000 members attended. Awards were given, including one to Dr. Chiu Ren-jong, JCRR plant pathologist, for his contributions to the protection of Taiwan crops.
Improved packing methods for bananas have been developed by the Union Industrial Research Institute of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Included are storage at low temperatures, gamma irradiation of green fruit and freeze or solvent drying. Spoilage losses of bananas are heavy in shipment to Japan.
To be completed at the end of June is Houlung reservoir in central Taiwan. Construction began in 1964 on the US$5.3 million project. Rice production in Miaoli country will be increased by 7,500 metric tons annually.
Taiwan went to the polls in the first elections at the national level since the late 1940s on the mainland. Vacancies were filled and new representatives chosen to reflect the increase in Taiwan population. The voting was made possible by 1966 amendment of the Constitution by the National Assembly. The government is empowered to call further national elections as fast as additional areas are liberated.
Fifteen members of the National Assembly and 11 members of the Legislative Yuan were elected. All but three of the successful candidates were nominees of the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party). The successful non-KMT candidates had no opposition from the ruling party. There were 54 candidates for the 26 seats.
Hsieh Kuo-cheng, banker and secretary-general of the Taiwan Baseball Association, received the largest number of votes. He led the Golden Dragon Little League team to the United States last summer and came back with a world championship. One of Asia's top baseball stars, Wang Chen-chili (Sadaharu Oh), came from Japan to support Hsieh's candidacy.
In second place and also winning a Legislative Yuan seat was Prof. Hung Yen-chiu, a non-partisan. The National Taiwan University professor of Taoism hesitated to enter the race because he had only US$3,000 to spend on his campaign. He spoke only at the government-organized forums and, except for a handbill and supplement in the Mandarin Daily News, of which he is director, did no campaigning. The voters apparently agreed with his contention that sound trucks, usually considered a necessity of Taiwan politicking, only keep people from their work or wake them during hours of sleep.
With the new members, the National Assembly, which originally had 2,961 members, has 1,450 and the Legislative Yuan, originally with a membership of 760, has 453. General elections of new parliamentary bodies cannot be held until the mainland has been recovered from the Communists.
The Control Yuan, known as the watchdog of government, also got two new members to represent Taipei, which is now a special municipality and ranks with Taiwan province as a political entity under the National Government. They were elected by the new Taipei City Council.
Two thousand members of the Kuomintang rallied at the Taipei City hall for the 75th anniversary of the Nationalist Party's founding. Huang Chi-lu, director of the KMT archives, reviewed the party's history. Dr. Chang Pao-shu, secretary-general of the Central Committee, presented awards to model members.
Presiding was Dr. Sun Fo, president of the Examination Yuan and the son of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of the KMT as well as of the Republic.
The Kuomintang first was called the Hsing Chung Hui (Society for Rebuilding China), which was organized in Honolulu on the occasion of a visit by Dr. Sun. The objectives were overthrow of the Ch'ing dynasty and establishment of a republic. An attempt at revolution failed in 1895.
In 1905, Sun Yat-sen met with Chinese students in Japan and the organization became the Tung Meng Hui (Society of the Common Cause). Then came the birth, of the Kuo Ming Tang, an amalgamation of the Tung Meng Hui, Tung I Kung Ho Tang (United Republican Party) and Kuo Ming Kung Chin Hui (National Vanguards' Association), in 1912.
In 1914 the Kuo Ming Tang became the Chung Hua Ke Ming Tang (Chinese Revolutionary Party). The final reorganization into the Kuomintang of today came in 1919 in order to consolidate the Republic and implement Dr. Sun's Three Principles of the People.
The Historical Data Center was dedicated at Chingtan near Green Lake to mark the KMT anniversary. It houses historical materials about the Kuomintang and will be available to Chinese and foreign historians for study.
African specialists of the Foreign Ministry counted heads and announced that 22 of the 42 independent countries of the rapidly developing continent have diplomatic relations with the Republic of China, compared with 13 that recognize Peiping. The other 7 have no formal relations with either Taipei or Peiping.
Jean-Joseph Litho, a special envoy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa), visited Taipei and said that President Joseph Mobutu wants to establish an embassy in the Republic of China. The ROC already has a legation in Kinshasa. African countries with embassies in Taipei are Malagasy and Gabon.
Vice Foreign Minister Yang Hsi-kun, China's "Mr. Africa", returned from a four-month trip to the continent and the United Nations and told of widespread African awakening to the danger of Communist infiltration and subversion. He visited 26 African countries and met with more than 100 chiefs of state, prime ministers and ministers.
China's technical assistance program in Africa has been an unqualified success, he said. Teams are working in 23 countries: Cameroun, Chad, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Libya, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Upper Volta, Malawi, Gambia, Congo (Kinshasa), Dahomey, Malagasy, Botswana, Central African Republic, Ghana (no diplomatic relations), Lesotho, Mauritius and Swaziland. Other technical advisory groups are serving in Ethiopia, Chad, Rwanda, Ivory Coast and the Malagasy Republic.
The Committee for the Promotion of Sino-Japanese Cooperation met in Taipei for three days and urged free Asian countries to join in expediting the overthrow of the Chinese Communists. The 50 members of the joint committee called upon the Republic of Korea to join in reorganizing free Asia in preparation for a smaller U.S. role in the region. The meeting concluded that:
- No changes are in sight for the relationship between the United States and U.S.S.R. in the first half of the 1970s.
- Negotiations cannot heal the schism between Peiping and Moscow.
- Chinese Communists will remain isolated from the rest of the world and mainland turmoil will continue.
- Japan will assume increased responsibility for free Asia security during the 1970s.
The Japanese delegation was headed by former speaker of the Lower House Mitsujiro Ishii.
Chinese and Thai representatives met in a three-day ministerial conference at Bangkok. These agreements were reached:
1. A Chinese farm technical team working in Thailand will stay at least until June 30, 1971. Thailand supports the Asian Vegetable Center in Taiwan and will contribute to its support.
2. Thailand hopes for increased Chinese purchases of corn, soybeans and cotton, while Taiwan wants to sell more textile machinery, electrical equipment and hardware to the Thais.
3. The two countries will make joint investments in a paper and pulp mill and plants making rayon, nylon and other artificial fibers.
4. Taiwan expects Thai cooperation in urban and regional development planning.
China's 25-man rice team demonstration and extension team in the Philippines helped more than 4,300 farmers in three provinces improve rice production on some 9,700 hectares during the last three years. Output was increased 82 per cent in Iloilo province, 94 per cent in Bulacan and 152 per cent in Leite.
Foreign Minister Wei Tao-ming returned from the United Nations to warn of tendencies toward international appeasement that he sensed among some delegations at the international organization. He participated in the U.N. debate on China representation.
Ratified by the Legislative Yuan was the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Only two members raised objections. Ninety-one nations signed the treaty and 22 have ratified it. It becomes effective upon ratification by the United States, Soviet Russia and Great Britain (which have already acted) and 40 other signatories.
The Executive Yuan announced that free China's nuclear research is exclusively in the interest of the peaceful uses of atomic energy. According to the announcement, the objectives of free Chinese nuclear re search are (1) training of nuclear scientists and technicians, (2) study of nuclear fuels, (3) production of radioisotopes for industrial, agricultural and medical use, (4) industrial application of irradiation, (5) study of power reactors and (6) protection against radiation and disposal of nuclear wastes.
The statement was made upon recommendation by the Atomic Energy Commission headed by Dr. Yen Chen-hsing to encourage scientifically advanced countries to help the Republic of China in nuclear training, education and research.
Back for a visit was an old friend. Karl L. Rankin, who was American ambassador to Taipei from 1953 to 1958 after serving as minister and charge d'affaires from 1950 to 1953, said he wanted to see Taiwan's progress. He and Mrs. Rankin stayed for eight days and praised the Republic of China's example in making good use of foreign aid.
Ambassador Rankin said the United States will continue military assistance to free China and expressed confidence that China will be reunited in freedom.
A distinguished citizen returned for a month's stay after an absence of eight years. He is Dr. V. K. Wellington Koo, long-time diplomat and justice of the International Court of Justice for 10 years. He has been working with the Columbia University oral history project for the last three years. He said that the progress of the Republic of China in Taiwan has won worldwide recognition and respect.
Three French deputies and an official of French television came for a 10-day visit. It was the first official visitation since Charles de Gaulle recognized the Peiping regime in 1964. The delegation was made up of Deputies William Jean Armand Jacson, Etiemme Hinsberger and Jean Louis Nassoubre and the TV supervisor, Camille Lucien Max-Petie.
Final tourism figures were not in for 1969 but the total was expected to reach 365,000, an increase of 20 per cent. With Expo 70 to be held in Osaka this year, the projected 1970 tourism volume is 470,000. November brought the largest number of 1969 visitors with 42,195.
However, Taiwan tourism is running only about half of that of Hongkong. Only 1 of 2 Americans going to Hongkong stops over in Taipei for such reasons as the necessity of a visa, lack of large hotels and the fact that some international airlines do not serve Taipei.
Tourism leaders have called upon the government to help establish larger hotels. The biggest extant hotel has fewer than 400 rooms.
China Airlines' two new Boeing 707s arrived in Taipei and will begin service to the United States February 2. Two YS-11 turboprops are beginning domestic flights to Hualien on the east coast and to west coast destinations.
Northeast Orient Airlines, whose westbound flights terminate in Taipei, began flying to the States via Honolulu as well as via Alaska and the Great Circle route.
Boeing jumbo jets (747s) are expected to include Taipei as a stop after expansion of Sungshan International Airport. The US$3.5 million project is already under way and is scheduled for completion next fall. Northwest and Japan Airlines may begin the jumbo flights late in 1970 or early in 1971.
To help improve airport services, the government started assessing a US$1.50 tax on departing passengers. Collection is by the carriers.
The World Christian Anti-Communist Association held its first convention in Taipei with attendance of 160 delegates from 18 countries. In his message, President Chiang Kai-shek expressed confidence that humanity and justice will prevail in the world.
"The purpose of the establishment of the WCACA," he said, "is to arouse the Christian people of the world to realize that communistic ideology is inhumane, nonethical and antireligious and therefore should be purged in order to maintain human justice, freedom and peace."
WCACA is an outgrowth of the Asian Christian Anti-Communist Association, which was organized in 1965 and held its fifth general assembly in conjunction with the world meeting. Attending the WCACA sessions were representatives from Australia, Brunei, Canada, China, Finland, Germany, Hongkong, Holland, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Norway, Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States and South Vietnam.
Vice President C. K. Yen called upon the organization to rally Christians to oppose Communism. He said some Christians were allied with forces of evil, and continued: "If no efforts of clarification are made, the distinction between the godly and ungodly will be tragically blurred. Not only this, the aggression of the Communists will be encouraged and the disasters of men multiplied."
The Vice President and Prime Minister said the central tenets of Christianity and the culture of China are in complete accord.
Dr. Carl McIntire, president of the International Council of Churches, called for peace through victory in Vietnam. He said: "To have the might and not use it, to spend billions in order to possess it, and then deal with the enemy as though we didn't have it, makes a mockery of valor and power."
WCACA's declaration voiced opposition to the recognition of Peiping and to its U.N. admission. Withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea and South Vietnam was opposed and the pro-Communist tendencies of some Christian churches, including the World Council of Churches, were sharply denounced.
Recommendation from the influential Council for International Economic Cooperation and Development urged the government to spend a larger proportion of the gross national product on education.
CIECD reported that the government spent US$180 million—4.08 per cent of the GNP—on education in 1968 and said this is not enough. The Ministry of Education, Provincial Education Department and Municipal Bureau of Education are being asked to develop plans for modernized and expanded education.
CIECD suggests emphasis on industrial arts and more testing to provide IQ and vocational guidance. For students not qualified to enter college, the 12th year of school would be given over to vocational training rather than academics.
More industrial and fishery vocational schools are needed, CIECD said, and ratio of academic to vocational middle schools should be changed from the present 6-4 to 4-6 within the next 10 years.
Science development plans for 1970 include the recruitment of 4,000 scientists for research and teaching. More than US$30 million has been allocated for the program.
Nearly 30,000 overseas Chinese students have been educated in Taiwan since 1951, according to the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission. They carne from 45 countries and areas, and nearly 13,000 received college degrees.
Regulations for students going abroad for advanced study were revised by the Ministry of Education. College graduates with a grade average of 85 per cent or above will be exempted from qualifying examinations. Details of the new rules will be found in the Culture, Science and Education Department of this issue.
China Youth Corps sponsored 563 camps offering more than 40 activities for the January-February winter vacation period. Some 30,000 high school and college students were expected to attend.
More than 40 educators from Japan, Korea, the Philippines and the Republic of China attended a UNESCO-sponsored workshop in Taipei. The theme was "curriculum for teacher education".
Directors and deputy directors of the Academia Sinica's nine institutes will begin serving definite terms of three years this year. A second term is permitted. The change will open top levels to young scholars.
President Chiang Kai-shek addressed joint commencement ceremonies of the Army, Navy and Air Force Academies and the Political Staff College at the Chungshan Cultural Building on Yangmingshan in suburban Taipei. The commander-in-chief handed out diplomas and medals to 17 honor winners.
His graduation message stressed revolutionary spirit, the "invisible strength" of morale and the development of science and the scientific method.
The President sent a message to the armed forces' fourth literary conference, urging soldier-writers to uphold justice and raise the morale of their fellow freedom fighters as well as that of the civil population. Literary workers of the military should relentlessly attack appeasement, compromise, moral decay and other fallacious advocacies, he said. "The new literary movement of the armed forces has become an effective weapon in cultural warfare against the Chinese Communists," he added.
Maj. Gen. Chen Chung-hsiu, spokesman of the Ministry of National Defense, said the Chinese Navy and Air Force maintained their supremacy in the Taiwan Straits during 1969. Modernization has continued, he said, and the armed forces have advanced their maintenance and repair competency.
MND reported that the armed forces gave 410,000 man-days of civic services in 1969. Farmers were helped to harvest 710,000 hectares of crops and medical service was provided for 113,072 persons. Repairs were made on roads, embankments and drainage systems totaling 360,000 meters.
Island-wide assistance was given during typhoons Elsie and Flossie. Ship rescue missions included three that assisted foreign freighters and eight for Chinese vessels. Nearly US$375,000 was distributed to the poverty-stricken and to disaster victims.
Two mothballed U.S. destroyers were turned over to the ROC Navy at Bremerton, Washington. They will be refitted in Taiwan and assigned to the Taiwan Straits patrol.
Madame Chiang Kai-shek presented more than 20,000 blankets to military dependents whose homes were flooded during typhoons Elsie and Flossie. The gifts were distributed by Mrs. Chen Cheng, widow of Vice President Chen and vice chairman of the Chinese Women's Anti-Aggression League.
Family planning was included in the health education courses given to 200,000 military recruits at nine training centers in 1969.
Taipei's new City Council convened and Lin Tin-sheng, one of Taiwan's leading industrialists, was elected speaker. Mayor Henry Kao reported on progress in the modernization of the city.
Efforts to cope with tangled Taipei traffic continued. Some relief was accorded jam-packed Chung-shan North Road when a four-lane subway was opened on Linsen North Road, which parallels Chungshan. At year's end, Taipei had about 130,000 motor vehicles, of which more than 35,000 were buses, trucks or autos. The rest were motorcycles or scooters.
Vegetable supply was back to normal in the wake of the two late-season typhoons and the Taipei city retail food price index was down by 11.1 per cent. The consumer index as a whole declined 7.11 per cent.
Taiwan Provincial Government announced details of the Linkou Special District development plan. This will be a bedroom area for half a million people west of Taipei. Utilities will be underground and construction will take 12 years. The area now has fewer than 25,000 residents.
TPG decided to move some of its subordinate offices from Taipei to Taichung to improve coordination. The Provincial Government is located at Chunghsing Village, an hour's drive from Taichung. The offices are those of the Water Conservancy Bureau, Public Works Bureau, Forestry Administration, Fishery Bureau, Provincial Archives and Land Bureau.
Such other offices as those of the Food Bureau, Supply Bureau, Tobacco and Wine Monopoly Bureau, Railway Administration, Highway Bureau and Coal Supply Adjustment Committee will remain in Taipei for the time being.
Governor Chen Ta-ching said TPG is moving to correct inaccurate statistics that may often lead to incorrect decisions. He asked for constructive criticism from press and public.
Opened in Taichung was a teachers' village for 270 families. A total of 137 units has been completed. Loans to buyers are to be paid in 15 years at interest of 6 per cent annually.
Paul Cardinal Yupin announced plans for a 612-bed general hospital in Taipei. Construction will begin in March and be completed about the end of 1972. The main building will be 10 stories. The complex eventually will include a medical college, nursing school, medical research centers, herb medicine research center, service center, church, guest house and dormitories. Initial cost will be US$5 million.
Discussion is under way between the National Science Council and the U.S. National Institute of Health on the possibility of Sino-American research on the anti-cancer properties of medicinal herbs. A systematic and comprehensive examination of herbs would be carried out in Taiwan with American assistance.
Research at the Army 816 Hospital suggests that cancer is closely related to age, food, climate and way of life. Of 458 cancer patients studied in the last three years, Cantonese in their 40s accounted for more than 40 per cent. People from north of the Yangtze River have only one-seventh the incidence of cancer found in those from areas of China to the south. Patients from Szechwan have the highest incidence of stomach and liver cancer. The Szechwan diet is one of the world's
Kaohsiung handled about 11 million tons of cargo and Keelung over 7 million tons in 1969. Expansion of Hualien harbor and planning of a new international port at Wuchi in west central Taiwan will get under this year.
Government announced plans to spend US$162.5 million in the next four years for 830,000 tons of shipping. Included will be container vessels, bulk carriers, tankers and passenger-cargo liners. Tonnage will range from 10,000 to 100,000. Two-thirds of the money will be sought from foreign sources. The merchant fleet now totals about 2.3 million tons, of which a million tons is under foreign flags of convenience.
Free China won the 13th Far East bridge championship and the right to represent the region in the 1970 world championship at Stockholm. The 1971 world championship competition will be held in Taipei. China won with 118.17 points and Hongkong was second with 101.18. Then came Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, South Vietnam, Philippines and South Korea. Singapore won the women's title. The Philippines was second and China third.
Some 2,000 members of Lions International from 10 Far Eastern countries met in a three-day conference in Taipei. President Chiang Kai-shek thanked the service organization for its contributions to society.
Results of a manpower survey indicated that only about 30 per cent of the Taiwan population is gainfully employed. Employment obstacles include inadequate training, low wages, poor working conditions and lack of transportation. The demand for additional labor is growing at the rate of 200,000 a year.
The Northern Taiwan Vocational Assistance Center urged higher pay and improved working conditions to attract more and better labor. The report said the minimum wage of US$15 a month should be in creased. A high rate of labor turnover reduces efficiency and production, NTVAC said.
Another survey showed that younger women are rejecting the Chinese chipao but that their older sisters like it. In the age bracket of 20-29, only 35.76 per cent had bought a slit-skirted Chinese dress in the last five years. The percentage moved up to 38.2 for the 30-39 age bracket, to 46.93 for those aged 40-49 and to 58.87 for those over 50. Blouses, skirts and dresses have become the dominant garb of Chinese women of Taiwan during the last decade.