On the occasion of the third Overseas Chinese Day, President Chiang Kai-shek, in a message to the 13,000,000 Chinese scattered all over the world, declared on October 21 that the determination of the Chinese people to fight for freedom and their confidence in the final victory would not be shaken by the vicissitudes of the international situation. He urged all the overseas Chinese to have unfailing faith in the anti-Communist cause and to refrain from relying too much on external assistance.
Vice President Chen Cheng, praising the traditional patriotism of the overseas Chinese, called on them to redouble their anti-Communist effort as the day of counter-attack was approaching, while Premier O.K. Yui urged them to deliver a severe blow to the Communist subversive activities abroad.
Meanwhile, the Overseas Chinese Day was marked in Taipei by (1) the inauguration of the Overseas Chinese Middle School, (2) the opening of the annual convention of the Overseas Chinese Policy Association, (3) the opening of the annual convention of the Association for the development of overseas capital and production, and finally (4) a garden party organized by Overseas Chinese students.
The evening of October 21 witnessed the largest gathering of overseas Chinese in Free China as some 7,000 guests including overseas Chinese students, representatives of Chinese communities abroad and Government officials attended a rally at the Armed Forces Stadium in Taipei. Mr. Chiang Shih-fu from Cuba, chairman of the rally, called on the 13,000,000 overseas brethren all over the world to support the Government for an early rest oration of their homeland.
The Chinese nationals in the Philippines observed their own day with a rally held at the Kuomintang Headquarters in the Chinese section of Manila in the evening of October 21. In a statement issued on the occasion, the Chinese community declared that the overseas Chinese should redouble their efforts to fight against Communism for the survival and reconstruction of their fatherland. They would, it said, maintain a policy of cooperation with the Philippine people for common prosperity.
Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Birthday
Chinese communities in Hongkong, Bangkok, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, San Francisco and New York held meetings and rallies on the 90th birthday anniversary of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Special supplements depicting Dr. Sun's life history and his struggle in the revolution were published by Chinese newspapers in various parts of the world, and overseas schools were closed for one day to mark the occasion.
Representatives of the Chinese community in Manila attended a commemoration meeting in the evening of November 12 at the Kuomintang headquarters with Mr. Pao Chi-tien, Assistant Principal of the Chung Cheng Middle School, in the chair. In Singapore, about 100 Chinese residents gathered at the United Chinese Library to commemorate the birthday of the founder of the Republic in the afternoon. Similar commemoration ceremonies were held by Chinese communities throughout the Federation. While Chinese residents in Seoul gathered in a Chinese school in the downtown district of the Korean capital for a quiet ceremony in commemoration of the national father's birthday, the Chinese students in Madrid commemorated the occasion at the Chinese Embassy with Ambassador James Yu and Archbishop Yupin as the principal speakers.
International Students Center
A ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of an International Students Center, which was attended by some 200 Chinese and foreign guests, was held in the afternoon of November 3 in Taipei. While Mr. Chang Chi-yun, Minister of Education, pointed out that as early as the fifteenth century during the Ming Dynasty there were international houses for the accommodation of college students from Japan, Korea, Indo-China, the Ryukyus and elsewhere, Governor C. K. Yen, who officiated at the ceremony, expressed the hope that international students centers of a similar nature would be set up in all the major cities on the mainland after its eventual recovery. Mr. Cheng Yu-fun, noticing the presence of a large number of overseas representatives, emphasized that it signified the enthusiasm of overseas Chinese for international cooperation and the promotion of international friendship.
Under the auspices of the International House Association, Taipei Chapter, a three-story building will be built on approximately three acres of land supplied by the city of Taipei. The whole project upon completion will cost a total of NT$5,000,000, half of which comes from the ICA China Mission while the other half' has been raised from public and private sources 1ocally. The Center, designed to provide social and recreational facilities for local and overseas students, will have dormitory space for 100 overseas students and a gymnasium having a seating capacity for 1,500 people.
Overseas Chinese Middle School
The National Overseas Chinese Middle School was formally inaugurated on October 21 in Taipei's scenic suburb of Panchiao as Free China's first exclusive academic institute for Chinese students from abroad. Present at the opening ceremony were a galaxy of guests including Mr. Chang Chi-yun, Minister of Education; Mr. Cheng Yin-fun, Chairman of the Overseas Commission; Mr. Liu Hsien-yun, Provincial Commissioner of Education; Mr. Payne Rempleton, ICA China Mission's adviser on the overseas Chinese education program, and overseas Chinese visitors from Canada, Vietnam, Japan, Burma, Indonesia and other areas.
Mr. Hsieh Yu-wei, Principal of the school, stressed in his opening speech that the school would in the future carry out three principles, namely, to cultivate the true national spirit, to devote itself to the study of science, and to provide intimate school life for students. Hsieh also pointed out that there were about 700 applications sent by various overseas groups, and 279 students have been enrolled at the beginning of the fall semester.
Overseas Students in Taiwan
A total of 1,928 overseas Chinese students have been enrolled in colleges and universities in Taiwan for the academic year 1955-1956. This is record-breaking. Of these students, 1,073 have already arrived in Taiwan while the rest are on their way here. The National Taiwan University has opening evening classes especially for overseas students who arrived too late for registration for the present semester and have to make up the lessons they have missed.
The Overseas Commission, with a view to enabling overseas Chinese to pursue their advanced studies in Free China, has set up an overseas students' teachers and friends club. A large number of scholars and leaders in the educational and cultural fields both at home and abroad have been invited to be its sponsors.
Overseas Visitors
President Chiang Kai-shek gave audience to three overseas groups from Thailand in the morning of October 29 when he expressed the hope that the overseas visitors would make use of their visit to familiarize themselves with the present conditions in Free China and pass on the information on their return to other Chinese nationals in the country where they reside. The President also granted audience to Messrs. Hung Tsai-nien and Lin Wen-hai, representatives of the Chinese community in the Philippines, on November 8. The Vice President received on November 1 four overseas leaders—Mr. Li Hung-lai from Canada, Mr. Wen Li-kwang from South Africa, and Messrs. Li Kan-shin and Hsieh Sun-cho from Rangoon. All the above-mentioned overseas visitors were in Free China for the celebration of President Chiang's 69th birthday on October 31.
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World Court's Advisory Opinion on Package Deal
"A member of the United Nations which is called upon, in virtue of Article 4 of the Charter, to pronounce itself by its vote, either in the Security Councilor in the General Assembly, on admission of a State to membership in the United Nations, is not juridically entitled to make its consent to the admission depending on conditions not expressly provided by paragraph 1 of the said Article.
"In particular, a member of the Organization cannot, while it recognizes the conditions set forth in that provision to be fulfilled by the State concerned, subject its affirmative vote to the additional condition that other States be admitted to membership in the United Nations together with that State."—International Court of Justice, May 28, 1948.