Taiwanese celebrate Independence today
By Ryan Haas
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
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Ambassador Wu toasts guests on the eve of Double Ten Day.
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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts-LESS than a month after St. Kitts-Nevis celebrated its 25th anniversary of Independence, the people of the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan are today (Oct. 10) commemorating the 97th anniversary of breaking away from what is now the People’s Republic of China.
Known as Double Ten Day, the National Day of the ROC commemorates the Wuchang Uprising of 1911 which ended the reign of China’s Qing Dynasty and lead to the establishment of the ROC on January 1, 1912.
Double Ten Day is observed in Chinese communities around the world and was celebrated in Taiwan today with a military parade, fireworks displays and an address by President Ma Ying-jeou.
In honour of the special day, the Embassy of the ROC in St. Kitts-Nevis hosted an evening of revelry and fine dining last night (Oct. 9) at the Formosa Garden Restaurant in St. Johnson’s Village. Attendees of the event were treated to a presentation on Taiwanese development, traditional Chinese cuisine and music from the St. Kitts-Nevis Defense
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| Deputy Governor General, His Excellency Edmund Lawrence, and the Acting Prime Minister, Hon. Sam Condor |
Force Band.
“Both the Federation of St. Kitts-Nevis and the Republic of China (Taiwan) cherish the same causes of freedom, democracy and human rights,” the Taiwanese Ambassador to the Federation, His Excellency Rong-chuan Wu said as he addressed the crowd of dignitaries and invited guests from both islands.
The Ambassador discussed the hardships that the people of the ROC had to go through over the years since breaking away from mainland China, including civil war with the mainland and their 1971 expulsion from the United Nations because of their communist neighbours’ demands.
Wu made it clear that despite the challenges, Taiwan has continued to thrive on the international stage and is currently the 18th largest economy in the world, exporting US $246 billion in 2008—roughly US $10,000 for every man, woman and child living on the small island.
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| Common Chinese symbol used to represent Double Ten Day |
Because of St. Kitts-Nevis’ twenty-five year relationship with the ROC and continued appeals to the UN to accept them as a full member, Wu said his embassy will “spare no efforts to advance the existing cooperation projects so as to further strengthen and deepen [Taiwan’s] technical cooperation” with the Federation.
The Acting Prime Minister, Hon. Sam Condor, addressed the crowd on behalf of the people of the St. Kitts-Nevis and read a selection of his September 2000 address to the UN at its 55th Annual General Meeting.
“We emphasize that [the United Nations’] policy seeks to promote respect for the sovereignty of states. However, as we reflect on the mission of this institution, we deem it appropriate to consider the invaluable contribution of the 20 million Chinese people on Taiwan who can add great substance to the international discourse.”
Condor said he wished to echo these statements on the 97th anniversary of sovereignty coming to the ROC, and added that St. Kitts-Nevis will “continue to call for their acknowledgement in the halls of the United Nations” continually until it comes to pass. ~~Adz:Right~~
