Yikiangshan, a tiny island off the Chekiang coast 230 miles north of Taiwan with a total land area of 1.2sq. km., was under the combined attack of the land, sea and air forces of the Chinese Communists since January 18. The guerrilla units defending the island fought against great odds. After having held out for 61 hours and 21 minutes, the defenders were overwhelmed and finally sacrificed their lives for their Country but not until they had inflicted heavy casualties upon the invaders. Commenting on the gallant defense of Yikiangshan, the local vernaculars, while paying high tribute to the valor and patriotism of the warriors, expressed the view that, judging from the efforts made by the Reds in taking the island, the battle of Yikiangshan may well prove to be the overture of an invasion of the Taiwan Straits.
"The defense of Yikiangshan will go down in history as one of the most glorious pages in our anti-Communist and anti-Russian struggle. Greatly outnumbered and assaulted from land, sea and air, these heroic sons of the Republic of China made a determined stand and did not flinch a single inch until they were finally overwhelmed and sacrificed their lives at the altar of national freedom and independence," Thus declared the Central Daily News editorially on January 22. "The battle of Yikiangshan may well prove to the overture of an all-out military invasion of the Taiwan Straits by the Communists," "We have to maintain a high degree of alertness and mobilize all available manpower and material resources and continue to fight until we have won the final victory," added the paper.
Eulogizing the 720 defenders of Yikiangshan who had succeeded in defending the islet for 61 hours and 21 minutes against wave after wave of Communist invaders and fought to the last man after having exacted a heavy toll of the enemy, the Hsin Sheng Pao observed editorially on January 22 that the Yikiangshan battle was of great military significance, "because it is the first amphibious operation ever attempted by the Communists. Judging from the tremendous efforts made by the Reds in taking the island, it is safe to predict that an all-out invasion of the Taiwan Straits is in full swing." "Politically," the paper continued, "the current Communist military operation aims at preventing the ratification of the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty by the American Senate on the one hand and further confusing and dividing the free nations on the other." The paper exhorted the democracies to take a united stand in face of the Communist aggression and added:
"We fully appreciate the desire on the part of the free world for peace. In fact, who does not? But to buy peace at the price of security and honor, instead of bringing real peace, would only encourage the enemy to embark on more adventures,"
In an editorial on January 22, the Chung Hua Jih Pao indicated that Yikiangshan is a small island of no great military importance but of great diplomatic and political significance. "Judging from the immense effort made by the Reds in taking it," pointed out the daily, "we can easily see that they are now dead set against invading Taiwan, the bastion of Free China, which is in fact a thorn in their side," The desire for peace on the part of the free world is quite understandable. In fact, the Communist bloc is not ready for a general war right now. They lack sea and air power, an atomic stockpile and the general industrial strength of the democratic world. They know perfectly well that once such a war broke out, they would be decisively defeated. Their present strategy seems to be one of biding their time. Taking full advantage of the disunity among free nations, they nibble away at one place after another. When they are sure of their own superiority in strength over the free world, they will throw down the gauntlet.'"
Eisenhower's Message on Taiwan
Seeing in President Eisenhower's message to Congress on Taiwan the unfolding of a new American policy, the local press unanimously expressed the view that nothing short of unity among the free nations in their firm determination to resist Communist aggression with force can ensure the maintenance of peace and order in the world.
"The clear-cut stand as enunciated by President Eisenhower in his message to the U. S. Congress on Taiwan will not fail to bolster the morale of the free world." Thus declared the Center Daily News in its editorial on January 30. "The Government and people of Free China," said the daily, "have suffered the longest from Communist aggression, and therefore understand their intrigue best. It has always been our opinion that unity among the free nations and armed strength are two indispensable conditions in effectively dealing with the Communists. Unless and until this fact is recognized by all free nations, the Communists will continue their old tactics — to divide and conquer."
Commenting on President Eisenhower's message to Congress asking for authority to safe guard Taiwan, the Pescadores and other "related localities," the Hsin Sheng Pao in its editorial on January 26, while approving its general tone, said that only a dynamic and positive U.S. foreign policy could arrest the Communist advance find avert another world war. "No one questions," the paper went on to say, "the de termination of the United States Government to resist aggression. However, there is an apparent discrepancy between her military strategy and political strategy." The daily strongly deplored that the American Government should see fit to take up the cease-fire issue with the Reds in the United Nations and predicated that such an attempt was bound to fail. "To maintain peace and order in the Pacific," the paper added, "the United States should not only wrest the initiative from the Communists but also back up her determination to resist aggression with positive political action."
In two consecutive articles on January 26 and 28, the Cheng Hua Jih Pao editorially stated in the same vein that nothing would more surely help to maintain peace and order in this part of the world than a clear-cut and positive U. S. policy towards the Communists. "Committed as the Communists are to a blueprint of world conquest," pointed out the paper, "it would be the height of folly for the free world to delude itself into thinking that it can live peacefully side by side with the Iron Curtain bloc. The American President's message to Congress on Taiwan makes it crystal clear that, so far as the U. S. Government is concerned, it has no such illusion at all. However, the Communists are realists, afraid of nothing but force. Let us hope that the United States will carry out to the letter what is contained in the message."
Seeing in President Eisenhower's message to Congress on Taiwan the unfolding of a new American policy, the Combined Daily observed in its editorial on January 25 that every passage contained therein was of vital importance to the situation in the Far East. "So long as it is a positive measure to arrest the advance of the Communists," the paper continued, "it will have the whole-hearted cooperation of both the Government and people of Free China: On the other hand, should it violate the highest guiding principles of the United Nations Charter or turn out to be an obstable to our national recovery and reconstruction, we would not hesitate to defend our national independence with our blood and flesh." The paper then went on to point out that any statement or decision calculated to serve only as a bluff would never bring the expected results. "The United States Government had warned the Chinese Communists not to step beyond the boundary of the Chinese mainland. But the Korean War broke out just the same. As both the United Nations and the United States did not have the determination to fight a decisive war there, Korea remains disunited. Again, in spite of the American warning to the Chinese Communists not to interfere with the war in Indo-China, Washington finally accepted the decision reached in the Geneva Conference, with the result that half of that country fell into the hands of the Communists. The fate that befell Korea and Indo-China would have been averted, if the U. S. Government had backed up its decision with force. Now that President Eisenhower has been authorized to safe guard Taiwan, the Pescadores and other "related localities," we are confident that he is deter mined to back it up with military force in the event of a Communist attack.
Viewing President Eisenhower's historic message of January 24 as a clarification of American attitude which "cannot fail to contribute to the security of both Free China and the United States," the China Post in two successive articles on January 29 and 31 remarked that "this wise and courageous action is the clearest evidence that the United States is determined to assume effective leadership of the free nations in resisting Communist encroachments in this part of the world: Hitherto, the Chinese Communists have deluded both themselves and the Chinese people on the mainland that Uncle Sam is no better than a paper tiger who can be treated with contempt without incurring his wrath. With intensified anti-American campaigns culminating recently in the arbitrary and illegal imprisonment of eleven U. S. fliers captured in the course of the Korean War, responsible American leaders begin to realize that retreat and indecision will simply encourage the Chinese Communists to be more arrogant and insulting. This realization, together with the necessity of securing and protecting Taiwan and the Pescadores against Communist attack, has prompted the United States to lay all her cards on the table and call the Communist bluff."
Cease-fire in the Taiwan Straits
Branding the cease-fire resolution introduced by New Zealand as utterly preposterous, the Central Daily News editorially observed on January 31 that cease-fire could never stop aggression, as borne out by the experiences in Korea and Indo-China. "If anything," continued the daily, "it would only whet the appetite of the aggressor for more adventures. Moreover, so widespread is the popular opposition to their tyrannical rule that the Chinese Reds have to resort to foreign aggression as an excuse for further extortions and suppression of internal rebellion." "As a puppet of Soviet Russia, to whose will and interests the puppet regime in Peiping caters, the so-called 'People's Government' in Peiping is not the legal government of an independent nation. In the eyes of the Chinese Central Government in Taiwan, the Chinese Communists are nothing but rebels. Therefore, it has the duty as well as right to suppress them. In spite of its failure to sup press the Communist rebellion in the years immediately following the end of World War II, it does not follow that it can now be deprived of the right to take necessary action for the recovery of the mainland," added the paper.
Describing the New Zealand proposal to invite the puppet regime in Peiping to ceasefire talks in the United Nations as fantastic the Hsin Sheng Pao editorialized on the same day that lasting peace could only be established by up-holding the principles of justice and righteousness, not by appeasement and compromise in dealing with an aggressor. The paper went on to point out that "by extending an invitation to a regime which it has previously condemned as an aggressor, the United Nations is slapping its own face. Though to invite it to discuss the cease-fire proposal in the UN Security Council is different from its admission to the world organ, it would, nevertheless, provide it with enough grist for propaganda purposes. Furthermore, the fiascoes in Korea and Indo-China are still vivid in our memory. Could the United Nations be so naive as to believe that the Communists could change their attitude overnight? The proper thing for the world organ to do right now is to refute such ridiculous ideas as 'Two Chinas' and 'Taiwan Trusteeship' on the one hand and to publicly declare that the Chinese Government in Taiwan is the only legitimate Government of China and that Taiwan and the Pescadores are integral parts of Chinese territory."
In two consecutive articles on January 28 and 30, the Kung Lun Pao stated that whether the Communists would accept the invitation to discuss ceasefire remained to be seen. "Having veto power in the Security Council of the United Nations, Soviet Russia would naturally only back up such proposal as is in one way or another beneficial to the Communist bloc and veto what is against its interests. Should the Communists decide to accept the invitation, political questions would inevitably be raised in the course of the ceasefire talks. In fact, the very acceptance of the invitation itself is simply a means to serve a political objective." "Under the circum stance," continued the daily, "it is safe to say that the ceasefire talks, if they are actually held, will never get anywhere apart from doing an irreparable damage to "the prestige of the world organ whose avowed object is to condemn aggression."
"What is the real motive of the behind-the-scene activities by England, India and some other countries in arranging a ceasefire in the Taiwan Straits? What will be its possible effects on the world situation?" asked the Combined Daily editorially on January 31 and February 5. "It is no other than the preposterous idea of 'Two Chinas,' which was first suggested by England and India," answered the paper. Such a theory is based upon the possibility of co-existence with the Communist bloc, with a "balance of power" as its cornerstone. "In carrying out this policy," the paper went on to point out, "England supports the rearmament of West Germany and the strengthening of the NATO in Europe and the promotion of the 'Manila Pact' in Asia. In the hope of dissolving the differences between the two conflicting camps, she advocates the drawing of a clear-cut line between them. Thus, there are two Koreas, two Indo-Chinas, two Germanys, etc. This is also the basis for the 'two-China' theory. The absurdity of such an idea is too obvious to de serve refutation. So far as Free China is concerned, she is strongly against it and will exercise her inalienable right to recover her lost territory with all might and main."
Commenting on the proposed ceasefire in the Taiwan Straits, the China News in its editorial on February 2 doubted that it could ever succeed. It said: "the Communists are never known for their living up to any agreement or treaty which the free nations have so painfully entered into with them through hard bargaining and at a great sacrifice of dignity and principles. Each fresh bargaining at the conference table means more concessions to the Communists. Every international horse-trading would tend to weaken the free world's will to fight and in turn strength en the Red regimes which flourish through black mail, deceit and secret maneuvering. The Free Chinese know only too well that there is not a chance for an honorable ceasefire in the Taiwan Strait without paying a heavy price for it. Furthermore, the very idea of a ceasefire is baffling to all free Chinese and is looked upon by them with disfavor, for it implies, above everything else, the recognition of the fruits of aggression."
In its editorial on January 21, the China Post stated that no ceasefire in the Taiwan Strait was possible between the Central Government of the Republic of China, which has temporarily moved its seat to Taipei, and the Soviet-backed puppet rebel organization in Peiping. "True," the paper continued, "a number of nations in the world have already extended diplomatic recognition to the Peiping regime, and this is no surprise to us. From our point of view, these nations which have established diplomatic relations with the Peiping regime are nations which are devoid of all sense of right and justice. They have not hesitated to appease the Chinese Communists either because they believe in the principle of 'trade above everything else' or because they are so chicken-hearted and helpless that they think they can buy temporary security from Communist conquest by doing their utmost to please Moscow and its satellites." Furthermore, the paper added, "the idea of a ceasefire in the Taiwan Strait carries with it implications which no one having a sense of right and justice can be expected to relish or support. Obviously, a ceasefire between the Chinese Central Government in Taipei and the Peiping regime could not but mean that the 45,000,000 Chinese people on the mainland, who for five long years have been suffering from Communist persecution and exploitation, would be doomed to perpetual enslavement."
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Confucius said, "I used to devote myself to thinking, doing with out food throughout the day and without sleep throughout the night. I found that the practice was without merit; the better way is to learn."
Confucius said, "I was not born with knowledge. I am not only fond of the study of the principles and institutions of antiquity, I assiduously pursue it."