Family members and descendants of former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) yesterday stood alongside President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) at an official ceremony to unveil a plaque that reads “Ching-kuo Hall” (經國廳) over the entrance to the Presidential Office Building’s auditorium.
Ma said the plaque was hung in the hope that people would realize the extraordinary contributions of the former president, adding that he hoped the nation would continue to uphold Chiang’s legacy of loyalty, spirit of reform and seeing the nation’s people as his own children.
Chiang was the hand behind the steadily improving economy and political reform of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan following its defeat in the Chinese Civil War in 1949, Ma said.
The ceremony coincided with Youth Day, as Chiang had placed a lifelong emphasis on the importance of young people to the nation through his efforts to foster young talent, Ma said.
Under Chiang, the ROC saw the lifting of martial law, in place since 1949, and a gradual transition to the democratic republic the nation was meant to be, Ma said, adding that Chiang also improved cross-strait relations and presided over the Ten Major Infrastructure Projects (十大建設) that drove Taiwan’s economic success.
Chiang was a far-sighted politician who ended the authoritarian rule under which he was born, Ma said, adding that his lifting of a ban on veterans in Taiwan visiting their families in China greatly contributed to thawing relations across the Taiwan Strait.
Ma said that over his eight years as president, he has striven to follow Chiang’s tenet of “making Taiwan the primary concern [of policies] and [making policies that] benefit Taiwanese.”
Among those also in attendance at the ceremony were former premiers Hao Pei-tsun (郝柏村) and Liu Chao-hsuan (劉兆玄), as well as 99-year-old former Presidential Office deputy secretary-general Chang Tzu-yi (張祖詒).
Chang was critical of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who removed a plaque from the auditorium’s entrance that read “Chieh Shou Hall” (介壽堂), written by then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) heavyweight Wu Chih-hui (吳稚暉). Chang called Chen’s removal of the plaque a “crude, shallow act” and lauded Ma for his restraint in not replacing the plaque immediately after assuming office in 2008.
Chang said he was honored to be invited to the ceremony, and that in his mind, Chiang was a great and wise leader, as well as a kind and benevolent elder, adding that Chiang always placed himself at the forefront when dealing with the nation’s needs.
“Wherever the people needed him, he was always there,” Chang said.
Chang suggested that Ma donate recordings of the process of naming and hanging the plaque over the auditorium to the Academia Historica.
Also in attendance were KMT chairperson-elect Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) and KMT Acting Chairperson Huang Min-hui (黃敏惠), as well as Chiang’s daughter-in-law Chiang Fang Chih-yi (蔣方智怡), his son John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) and other members of the family, including Chiang Yu-sung (蔣友松) and Andrew Chiang (蔣友青).
‘NEVER!’ Taiwan FactCheck Center said it had only received donations from the Open Society Foundations, which supports nonprofits that promote democratic values Taiwan FactCheck Center (TFC) has never received any donation from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), a cofounder of the organization wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday. The Taipei-based organization was established in 2018 by Taiwan Media Watch Foundation and the Association of Quality Journalism to monitor and verify news and information accuracy. It was officially registered as a foundation in 2021. National Chung Cheng University communications professor Lo Shih-hung (羅世宏), a cofounder and chairman of TFC, was responding to online rumors that the TFC receives funding from the US government’s humanitarian assistance agency via the Open Society Foundations (OSF),
An alleged US government plan to encourage Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to form a joint venture with Intel to boost US chipmaking would place the Taiwanese foundry giant in a more disadvantageous position than proposed tariffs on imported chips, a semiconductor expert said yesterday. If TSMC forms a joint venture with its US rival, it faces the risk of technology outflow, said Liu Pei-chen (劉佩真), a researcher at the Taiwan Industry Economics Database of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research. A report by international financial services firm Baird said that Asia semiconductor supply chain talks suggest that the US government would
ANNUAL LIGHT SHOW: The lanterns are exhibited near Taoyuan’s high-speed rail station and around the Taoyuan Sports Park Station of the airport MRT line More than 400 lanterns are to be on display at the annual Taiwan Lantern Festival, which officially starts in Taoyuan today. The city is hosting the festival for the second time — the first time was in 2016. The Tourism Administration held a rehearsal of the festival last night. Chunghwa Telecom donated the main lantern of the festival to the Taoyuan City Government. The lanterns are exhibited in two main areas: near the high-speed rail (HSR) station in Taoyuan, which is at the A18 station of the Taoyuan Airport MRT, and around the Taoyuan Sports Park Station of the MRT
Starlux Airlines on Tuesday announced it is to launch new direct flights from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Ontario, California, on June 2. The carrier said it plans to deploy the new-generation Airbus A350 on the Taipei-Ontario route. The Airbus A350 features a total of 306 seats, including four in first class, 26 in business class, 36 in premium economy and 240 in economy. According to Starlux’s initial schedule, four flights would run between Taoyuan and Ontario per week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Flights are to depart from Taoyuan at 8:05pm and arrive in California at 5:05pm (local time), while return flights