The Premier declared that the Republic of China will always remain in the camp of democracy. "As a member of the international community, we shall contribute our share of strength to the common effort and actions to assure world peace and justice," he said.
"At this point," he continued, "I must reiterate that within the free world we have always been a sincere and steadfast friend of the United States. Among the multilateral and bilateral agreements signed by the United States with other free nations in the postwar years, the Sino-American mutual defense treaty has been especially significant in enduring the tests of time. The perpetuation or abrogation of this treaty will affect not only the vital interests of the two signatories but also the security of all Asia and the free world. The United States will surely not ignore its own interests and common interests with its allies and go to the assistance of a foe that continuously regards America as its 'potential enemy.' To do so would be to destroy a true friend who shares with the United States common sorrows and blessings and identical interests.
"We are completely confident that upon entering its third century of nationhood, the United States will adhere to its moral position of promoting freedom and will continue to lead the free world in efforts to establish true and universal peace."
The Premier reiterated the importance of maintaining domestic security and expressed the Republic of China's willingness to cooperate with any international organization to investigate seditious cases if the investigation is based on goodwill.
He said, "In point of fact, no democratic country can tolerate people who disturb society or jeopardize the country by committing crimes. Our situation is like that of a boat sailing through rough seas. We can naturally ill afford to allow unlawful elements to endanger our stability and security. Consequently, we shall never pardon or tolerate unlawful elements that engage in subversion or other seditious activities.
"We must see to it that no one is wronged and at the same time that no criminal gets off without punishment. We shall not pardon anyone who has jeopardized the country or society, nor shall we wrong anyone who is innocent. Because either the pardoning of a criminal or the wronging of the innocent would affect society directly and indirectly, we have never taken any rash action that would infringe human rights.
"But a few people in the world," he said, "do not know what is right and what is wrong and misunderstand, asserting that in handling such cases, our government has infringed human rights. We want the world to know the truth, and we shall be glad to cooperate with the investigation of any international organization that is based en goodwill toward us."
In an address to the joint convention of the Chinese Agricultural Association and specialized agricultural associations, Premier Chiang said that the government is determined to make the farmers in the Republic of China the world's best and most prosperous.
The Premier also said the rural reconstruction plan mapped out by the government was aimed at increasing agricultural production as well as improving the quality of farm products so that farmers can raise their living standard.
"To attain this goal, all administrative personnel and workers must absorb new techniques and knowledge to help the farmers solve their problems," the Premier said.
"The imminent problem is the shortage of workers. It is necessary to encourage youths majoring in agriculture to return to the farms after graduation," he added.
Premier Chiang pointed out that upon completion of the railway electrification and the North South Freeway, a number of industrial districts will be established in rural areas to help villages prosper.
In a written message, President Yen Chia-kan urged members of the Chinese Agricultural Association and specialized agricultural groups to devote themselves to rural prosperity.
"All of us must exert all-out efforts to help the government implement national reconstruction," he said.
Premier Chiang called on the Chinese Institute of Engineers to emphasize talent cultivation and research to support the government's new Six Year Economic Development Plan and accomplish the mission of national reconstruction.
Premier Chiang thanked engineers for overcoming reconstruction difficulties.
The Premier addressed the 41st annual convention of the CIE in Taipei. He termed the training of young engineers "an intangible, invisible and precious asset for our nation."
In implementing the six-year plan, attention should be given the cultivation of talent and augmented scientific research.
He urged engineers to support the Hsinchu science and technological zone.
Japan under Prime Minister Hayato Ikeda, acting through his special emissary, Shigeru Yoshida, concluded a five-point memorandum with President Chiang Kai-shek to support the Republic of China in liberating the Chinese people on the mainland from Communist rule.
The memorandum was the outcome of Yoshida's three meetings with President Chiang in February, 1964.
The purpose of Yoshida's visit to Taipei was to patch up relations between Taipei and Tokyo, which were on the verge of collapse.
The five-point memorandum was attached to the famous "Yoshida Letter."
Existence of the memorandum was made known after discovery of a copy of the complete "Yoshida Letter" by a Sankei Shimbun correspondent. It was translated into Chinese by the Japanese Foreign Ministry and signed by Yoshida himself.
A statement by the Japanese Foreign Ministry said the letter was dispatched after "consulting Prime Minister Ikeda and the cabinet ministers concerned."
Sankei Shimbun listed the five points as follows:
1. Liberation of the 600/million Chinese on the mainland from Communist domination is necessary for maintenance of world peace and prosperity.
2. For this objective, the Republic of China and Japan should work together to build up a model of peace and prosperity, induce the people on the mainland to stand up against Communism and eliminate the Communist regime from the mainland.
3. Japan will give moral support to the Republic of China when its policy of recovering the mainland "by 70 per cent political and 30 per cent military efforts" is certain to succeed.
4. Japan opposes the so-called "two-China policy."
5. Japan will confine its trade with the mainland to a private commercial basis and refrain from giving any aid to the Communist regime.
Sankei revealed that the so-called "Yoshida Letter" made public in Japan by the government was the second sent by Yoshida.
Yoshida sent the letter dated May 7 after ROC authorities had protested against lending Peiping money to build a second industrial plant.
To cover up the five-point memorandum, the Japanese Foreign Ministry published the second letter and kept the first letter secret, Sankei said.
Quoting remarks by President Chiang at a press conference with Japanese reporters in Taipei in 1968, Sankei said the Republic of China regarded the five-point memorandum as "an appendix to the Sino-Japanese peace treaty." Disregard of the "Yoshida Letter" would mean scrapping the peace treaty, he added.
The Republic of China did not make the memorandum public out of consideration for Yoshida's special position.
More than 20 members of the 23rd Asian Peoples' Anti-Communist League Pre-Conference Executive Committee met in Taipei.
Gen. Honkon Lee, presiding in his capacity as chairman of the APACL Council, said, "The anti-Communist struggle is not a task for any single person or nation. It is the common mission of the entire world and of all humankind." He said "anti-Communist defense cooperation must be firmly established in order to safeguard Asian and Western Pacific security."
Dr. Ku Cheng-kang, World Anti-Communist League chairman and WACL/APACL China chapter president, said, "We must strengthen economic cooperation and generate the necessary common strength for overall development of Asia. Cultural intercourse among free Asian nations must be promoted in such a way that the anti-totalitarian spirit of our traditional culture will be given full play."
Dr. Ku urged that "various effective steps be taken to encourage and support the anti-Communist and anti-tyranny revolutions of the enslaved masses of people on the Chinese mainland, the Korean peninsula and in Indochina.
"The new administration of Mr. Carter should face squarely the mistakes and disasters created in Asia by the policy of detente, strictly abide by the treaty obligations and defense commitments to free nations in Asia and the Pacific, and formulate a healthy Asian policy that can enjoy full support from free Asians and promote the collective security of the whole region."
In a joint communique, the conference urged the United States not to withdraw its troops from the Korean peninsula or weaken the Asian peoples' anti-Communist strength. It also urged the United States to honor its defense commitments to the Republics of China and Korea and Japan.
"Save Asia Through Anti-Communist Unity" will be the theme of the APACL conference in Taipei April 18-24.
Despite Communist tricks and pressures, not a single Communist flag has ever been raised at any of the more than 1,000 overseas
Chinese communities in the United States, Mao Sung-nien, chairman of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission, told a Dr. Sun Yat-sen memorial meeting in Taipei.
Mao said that although conditions for overseas Chinese have become more difficult in the last few years, their patriotic spirit and traditional ethics have never been eroded by the evil of Communism. He called attention to anti-Communist resistance in the overseas Chinese schools of Peru, Canada, Japan and India.
Anti-Communist Chinese have won re-election in 228 overseas Chinese communities of 26 countries which recognized the Peiping regime.
In resisting the pro-Peiping occupation of overseas Chinese federation offices in Kobe and Yokohama, Japan, members defeated Communist tricks and violence by their united strength.
A Hongkong television station, KH-TVB, faced a boycott by 600 overseas Chinese groups after broadcasting a controversial Mao Tse-tung documentary and making false reports about the Republic of China.
To help maintain traditional Chinese culture, the government has distributed more than 400,000 textbooks to overseas schools free of charge. Many teachers were invited to Taiwan for training.
There are 3,855 overseas Chinese schools with 53,500 teachers and more than 1.2 million students.
More than 30,000 overseas Chinese youths have been graduated from Taiwan schools - some 24,000 of them from colleges - in the last 25 years.
In the same period, more than 50,000 overseas Chinese participated in various seminars, the military services and other activities.
Leaders of all Christian sects in the Republic of China issued a joint statement to denounce a proposal by pro-Maoist Americans that the United States should accelerate "normalization" of relations with Peiping.
The Rev. Chen Shih-chun, president of the Council of the Christian Churches, presided at a rally expressing Chinese Christian anti-Communism, patriotism and orthodoxy.
The statement said Christians living in free China were greatly shocked to learn some churchmen were involved in the pro-Peiping movement.
Maoists have slaughtered more than 60 million innocent people and deprived 800 million Chinese of their freedom, the statement declared.
"Maoists demolished the churches and burned the Bibles.
"On behalf of Christians here, we declare to the world that the people of the Republic of China, under the able leadership of Premier Chiang Ching-kuo, have made great progress and shown unfailing courage despite all setbacks.
"The ROC cherishes the deep friendship with the United States, the peace of the world and the freedom of mankind."
Higher oil prices will cost the Republic of China an additional US$100 million this year.
Economic recovery will be somewhat affected.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates raised the oil price by only 5 per cent. However, only 40 per cent of Taiwan's imports is from Saudi Arabia. The rest is from the other OPEC countries.
The 80 million barrels of crude to be imported will cost about US$1 billion.
The Taiwan Power Company raised rates for electricity by an average of 20 per cent. Petroleum prices were not increased for the time being.
According to statistics of the Chase Manhattan Bank, Taiwan retail prices are among the most stable in the Asia-Oceania area.
An increase of only 2 per cent was registered in the 12-month period ending in August of last year, compared to 9 per cent in South Korea and Japan and 7 per cent in Hongkong and the Philippines.
Chase Manhattan noted that ROC exports in the year ended last September showed a 51 per cent hike, second to Korea's 70 per cent.
Two members of the Control Yuan called on the government to step up prospecting for and exploitation of natural resources to cope with the energy crisis.
They also urged the government to consolidate commercial organizations and establish a more powerful overseas sales network.
New technology is required to upgrade industrial standards, they said, as Taiwan moves from light industry into heavy and sophisticated industry.
Two other controllers urged the government to complete construction of the Ten Basic Construction Projects on schedule.
Oil prospecting off Kaohsiung is proceeding smoothly, the state-owned Chinese Petroleum Corporation said.
Prospecting is intended to determine the geological structure of the area. Another year or so will be needed to ascertain the extent of oil and gas deposits.
The PL-4, a light aircraft, made and designed by students and faculty of the Chung cheng Institute of Technology in three years, was tested in flight at a Chinese Air Force base in central Taiwan.
Col. Wang Yung-chang made the 20-minute flight at 3,500 meters accompanied by a PL-1 Chieh Shou plane and a helicopter.
The PL-4 has wings that fold up. It can be used for training and land surveys.
China Airlines will buy four new jetliners in the next five years and is planning to extend service to Latin America and Europe.
Chang Ling-teh, president of the carrier, said one of the four aircraft, a Boeing 747SP, is scheduled for delivery next April. A Boeing 747-200B will be purchased in December. CAL will buy two Boeing 747SPs or two Boeing 747-200Bs in 1978.
Chang said CAL is planning to establish world wide service by extending its Taipei-San Francisco or Taipei-Los Angeles route to the U.S. East Coast and Latin American countries and its Taipei Jeddah route to Europe.
The Republic of China's flag carrier will open a Boeing 747 repair center in May.
The Executive Yuan approved a US$48 million foreign loan requested by China Airlines to purchase a Boeing 747-209 for cargo service.
The Ministry of Finance will serve as guarantor. Japan Asia Airways, a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan Air Lines, is considering an extension of Tokyo-Taipei service to Kaohsiung.
S. Yamamoto, JAA's chief representative in Taiwan, said, "Many Japanese have realized southern Taiwan is a good place to visit."
JAA is conducting market research related to the new route, which may be inaugurated late this year.
"Waters near the southern tip of Taiwan are clean and beautiful," Yamamoto said. "It will be attractive to Japanese, because more and more people are interested in diving."
He predicted JAA's passenger volume will increase 20 per cent from last October to next September. JAA carried 154,000 passengers, most of them Japanese, in the first year after resumption of Japanese airline service on the Japan-Taiwan route in September, 1975.
Yamamoto said the Japanese economic situation is getting better and the number of tourists going abroad will climb.
Another reason is that travel expenses in Japan are high. "People prefer to have their vacation in a foreign country. Taiwan is not only good for recreation but also for shopping," Yamamoto said.
JAA has 27 flights a week - 14 on the Tokyo- Taipei route, 2 on the Osaka-Taipei-Manila route, 4 on the Osaka-Taipei route and 7 on the Osaka-Taipei-Hongkong route.
Kaohsiung Harbor will become one of the biggest seaports in the world after the completion of expansion projects now under way, a spokes man said.
Expansion is in coordination with development of heavy industry and to keep pace with the growth of shipping.
Kaohsiung is the biggest port in Taiwan and handles two-thirds of export-import trade.
These have been major construction projects of the last 10 years:
- Waterfront expansion. The program took 12 years (1958 to 1970) and involved land reclamation and related projects.
- Chungtao commercial harbor area. The port reclaimed 228 hectares of land between 1964 and 1975. Piers, warehouses and the first container terminal were built. When Chungtao is complete, freight traffic capacity will be 12 million tons and storage capacity 7 million tons.
- Second entrance. Construction was started in 1967 and completed in 1976. The new portal permits entry of 100,00-ton supertankers.
- Container terminals. Two are in operation and a third is planned. A 40,000-ton grain silo and a number of specialized piers were completed.
Second phase construction at Taichung Harbor is being carried out by the Retser Engineering Agency and will be completed in October, 1979.
Main projects include a 506-meter outer break water, piers totaling 2,400 meters and the dredging of 15 million cubic meters of earth.
A temporary fishing port will be constructed, using 33 caissons.
The Ministry of Communications has decided to open a Taichung-Hongkong sea route, the Taichung Harbor Bureau announced.
Vessels which meet the following requirements may be qualified for the route:
- Over 2,000 tons;
- More than three derrick, ventilation and separation holds.
- Under 20 years old.
Owners may file an application with the Ministry of Communications.
Agricultural growth was 7.3 per cent in 1976, the highest in 10 years. The goal was only 3 per cent.
This was the breakdown of increases:
- Crops, 4.6 per cent.
- Animal husbandry, 26.6 per cent.
- Fishery, 1.4 per cent.
- Forestry, minus 15.2 per cent.
The rice crop set a record of 2.7 million metric tons. Hog production was 5.4 million head compared with 4.2 million head in 1975.
Exports of agricultural and processed agricultural products exceeded US$900 million, about US$100 million more than in 1975.
Prices of agricultural products were stable, so farmers' incomes were substantially increased.
Government agencies have set the growth rate of crops for this year at 2.4 per cent and the rice production target at 2.7 million metric tons.
The Taiwan Provincial Government is working on a long-term plan to develop agriculture.
Income of farmers will be increased 45 per cent by 1981. The annual growth rate will be 2.8 per cent compared with 1.2 per cent in the 1973-75 period.
The TPG will increase investment in public utilities, beef up medical care and services, and improve educational, entertainment and welfare facilities to narrow the gap between rural and urban living standards.
Financial assistance will be given the deep sea fishing industry to modernize fleets.
Economic Vice Minister Yang Chi-chuan noted that many fishing boats have been seized by foreign countries on charges of intrusion.
Deep sea vessels will have to fish far from land. This will require bigger boats and better equipment, Yang said.
The government is taking these other steps to assure the growth of fishing:
- Explore and develop new resources near Taiwan and promote coordinated operations.
- Help oceangoing operators find new areas and set up more operating bases abroad.
- Promote cooperation with foreign countries. Representatives of fishing groups have conducted negotiations with African, Latin American and South Pacific countries.
- Step up research on preservation of resources and exchange information with other states.
Yang said that many oceangoing fishing organizations have filed applications for permission to fish within the American 200-mile zone following the negotiation of a ROC-U.S. agreement.
Taiwan will be more than self-sufficient in fertilizer by 1978, when expansion projects of the Taiwan Fertilizer Company are completed.
One project is a liquid ammonia plant in northern Taiwan. Local production is now about 100,000 metric tons short of the requirement.
Entering 1977, the Taiwan stockpile is around 600,000 tons. The year's domestic requirement is estimated at 1.43 million tons.
In 1978, Taiwan will have a surplus for export to Southeast Asia.
Hu Mei-huang, director of the Taiwan Area Freeway Construction Bureau, said the North South Freeway will be completed ahead of schedule.
The road from Keelung in the north to Kaohsiung in the south has been under construction since 1971. Some sections have been completed and opened to traffic.
Hu said design and detailed planning have been completed for 73 per cent of the route. Construction is 54 per cent complete.
The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 1978, when the section between Taichung and Tainan will be opened.
If work is finished two months ahead of schedule, NT$750 million will be saved.
The Taiwan Provincial Government plans to build 3,000 kilometers of roads throughout the island to accelerate development of resources in mountainous areas, Chu Shao-hua, secretary-general of TPG, said.
He told the Provincial Assembly that 583 kilometers of access roads have already been completed. To coordinate with the Six-Year Economic Development Plan, 1,800 kilometers will be built in the next six years.
Road construction will cost NT$2.4 billion, 70 per cent of which is to be borne by the Central and Provincial Governments and 30 per cent by district administrations. Maintenance costs will be shared equally.
Motorcycles, which have been blamed for causing many traffic accidents, will remain useful for at least 10 more years, a report by the Ministry of Communications said.
The report was in reply to legislators who had suggested motorcycles be banned.
Motorcycles will remain the major means of urban transportation until mass transit systems are established and automobile ownership rises.
There were some 2 million motorcycles on the island at the end of 1975 and the number is still growing.
The report suggested that motorcycles be used as transportation only for short distances. In cities, only light motorcycles might be allowed.
Chinese engineers have worked out a formula to make cement into concrete within four hours. Each cubic centimeter can withstand 3,000 PSI pressure.
The finding will shorten the time needed for heavy construction and airfield runways.
The study was started in July, 1976, by a group of young engineers. A report has been sent to the United States for study.
An ordnance factory will be moved out of Taipei to make room for a residential district, Mayor Lin Yang-kang said.
He also reported the date for joint bus operations has been postponed from January 1 to April because of complications.
The housing project will be on the site of the No. 44 Ordnance Factory at the junction of Hsinyi and Keelung Roads.
Covering an area of 146 hectares, the area will accommodate 87,000 people, Lin said. Planning has been completed.
Taipei's population has quintupled in 30 years despite a decreasing natural growth rate, the Taipei Family Planning Center said.
The population was 2,081,112 at the end of October and 400,000 in 1944, the year before Taiwan was restored to China after 50 years of Japanese rule.
The population density is 7,647 per square kilometer, one of the highest in the world.
Population is expected to reach 3.5 million by 1991 if the family planning program succeeds. Otherwise, a count of over 4 million is expected before the end of the 1980s.