The ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs is organizing a Hello, Mr. President! exhibition at Taipei City’s National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Sept. 16 to Oct. 13 to celebrate the steadfast relationship between Taiwan and the U.S.
“The U.S. has been a long-time partner of the ROC in terms of strategic security and economic development. The exhibition will review the development of the bilateral ties since the two established their official relationship in 1913,” Bruce J.D. Linghu, director of the MOFA Department of North American Affairs, said Sept. 13 at a media conference.
“By offering a panoramic review of ROC-U.S. summit diplomacy, it will also help the general public better understand the nation’s diplomatic achievements over the past century,” he added.
Organized by state-backed Central News Agency and CKSMH under MOFA’s auspices, the exhibition will feature 180 photos taken since 1949 and more than 50 letters, gifts and other items of historical significance.
In addition to CNA and MOFA collections, some items are on loan from other institutions, including Academia Historica, the ROC Presidential Office and several presidential libraries in the U.S., Linghu added.
According to MOFA, the exhibition will be arranged in six sections—“A Tribute to Reciprocity,” “Hello, Mr. President,” “Milestones in ROC-USA Bilateral Relations Since 1949,” “Of Peace and Mutual Trust – A New Era for ROC-USA Bilateral Relations,” “Soft Diplomacy” and “Summit Talks.”
The show will highlight some of the most important events in the bilateral relationship, including the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States of America and the Republic of China in Washington D.C. in 1954; the first-ever state visit to Taiwan by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the subsequent issuance of a joint communique in 1960; and the visit by former ROC President Lee Teng-hui to the U.S. in 1995.
The event will also feature a special seminar on the opening day at CKSMH, where former MOFA Minister Frederick Chien and former ROC Representative to the U.S. Stephen Chen, among others, will shed light on the mutual trust and friendship between the two nations.
Other invited panelists include Joseph Calvaruso, executive director of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation; Mary Jean Eisenhower, the granddaughter of Eisenhower; Carl Reddel, executive director of the Eisenhower Memorial Commission; and William Stanton, former director of the American Institute in Taiwan. (SFC-SDH)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw