PDF(2.7mb) - 國家政策研究基金會

The Foreign and Cross-Strait Policies of the New AdministrationIn the Republic of China 155
the future direction of the nation’s overall development.
Dr. Sun Yat-sen, founder of the Kuomintang and
the Founding Father of the Republic of China, who
studied in the British Library and was rescued by his
professor and mentor, Dr. James Cantlie, and the British
authorities from the illegal abduction by the Manchu
legation in London, wrote the Three Principles of the
People, or Democracy, Nationalism, and People’s Livelihood,
to guide his party. The Communist Party of
China believed otherwise; they were ardent followers of
Marxism and Leninism.
Well-intentioned Westerners thought the CCP was
a group of agrarian reformers and believed there could
be a coalition government in postwar China; some even
equated the CCP with European Communist parties
taking the parliamentary approach of power struggle.
Of course, it did not happen.
Defeated in the Civil War, the KMT-led government
at least successfully stemmed Communist expansion
at a critical juncture in history, utilizing the Taiwan
Strait as a natural buffer, much as Britain successfully
stemmed Nazi expansion at a critical juncture in World
War II.
In the last six decades, the Republic of China has
built Taiwan from the ravages of
World War II into an economic miracle and a viable
democracy, although admittedly there are some
shortcomings. We may be small in size and population,
but there is no question that the Chinese mainland at
least indirectly used Taiwan as a role model in its
opening up and economic reforms. But that was not the
end of the story. We believe that in terms of freedom,
democracy, human rights, and rule of law, we hold the
moral high ground. When President George W. Bush, in
his congratulatory message to President Ma, lauded
Taiwan as “a beacon of democracy for Asia and the
world,” we knew it was a diplomatic compliment. With
our shortcomings, we still have a lot to learn, especially
from the cradle of modern democracy, Great Britain.
The Republic of China is also the repository of
Chinese culture. All traditions of China have been well
preserved there, including the art treasures in the National
Palace Museum, to the admiration of even Mainland
visitors to Taipei, because we were spared the bizarre
and lunatic vandalism of the Red Guards in the
so-called Cultural Revolution.
In this age of reconciliation, our resolve to have a
credible defense, however, has never wavered. We believe
that one goes to the negotiation table from a position
of strength, not from a position of weakness. That
is why credible defense is absolutely necessary.
The Republic of China has played a constructive
role in the international community, seeking at the same
time to expand ties with all nations. For instance, our
graduate students no longer concentrate on a particular
country; they go to all major countries, including the
U.K. In fact, our student population in Great Britain has
increased dramatically in recent decades, from a little
over 200 in the 1970s to around 16,000 in 2008.
In the current relationship of cooperation and
competition between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait,
the jury is still out. However, the worst of times for
Taiwan and for the Republic of China seem to be over.
With peace at hand, we only hope that we truly serve as
a beacon. We only hope that all Chinese communities
everywhere in the world will one day enjoy the same
degree of freedom, democracy, human rights, and rule
of law as we do.
Thank you.