5 Sun Yat-sen 孫中山 Founding Father, Republic of China S un Yat-sen 孫逸仙, also known as Sun Chung-shan 孫中山 and Sun Wen 孫文, was born in 1866 in a coastal village of Xiangshan County 香山縣, Guangdong Province 廣東省. After receiving his early education in both Chinese and Western schools, he moved to Hawaii in 1879, where he attended Iolani and Oahu Colleges. In 1883, he returned to China to continue his studies, concentrating on the Chinese classics and history. He later moved to Hong Kong to attend Queen’s College and in 1892 graduated from Hong Kong Medical College for Chinese. Deeply concerned at the Qing 清 dynas- ty government’s oppression, corruption and submissiveness toward foreign powers, Sun gave up his medical career to pursue politi- cal reform. In 1894, together with a group of young overseas Chinese, Sun established his first revolutionary organization, the Revive China Society 興中會, in Honolulu. His political ideals are summarized in a set of doctrines called the Three Principles of the People 三民主義, comprising solidarity of the people, power to the people and prosperity of the people. Over the next 16 years, Sun and his followers launched 10 futile attempts to topple the Qing government. Finally, on October 10, 1911, forces loyal to Sun took over Wuchang 武昌, the capital of Hubei Province 湖北省. Thereafter, other prov- inces and important cities joined the revo- lutionary camp and declared independence from the Qing government. On December 29, 1911, Sun was elected provisional presi- dent of the new Republic by delegates from across China gathered in Nanjing. He was inaugurated on January 1, 1912, the found- ing day of the ROC. To preserve national unity, Sun relin- quished the presidency on April 1, 1912 to military strongman Yuan Shi-kai 袁世凱, who declared himself emperor in 1915. Sun and other leaders relocated to Japan to continue the revolutionary struggle until Yuan’s death in 1916. Thereafter, they organized a new government in Guangzhou 廣州, and in 1921 Sun became its president. He devoted the rest of his life to uniting China’s feuding factions. Sun denied the inevitability of commu- nism in China. He believed that class strug- gle, an intrinsic element of communism, was not an inevitable stage in human progress. He reiterated this point in a joint declara- tion issued with Soviet envoy Adolf Joffe in 1923, which stated that communism was not suitable for China. Sun also believed that co- operation rather than class struggle was the driving force behind social development. Sun died of cancer on March 12, 1925, at the age of 59 in Beijing. In 1940, he was posthumously declared the founding father of the ROC for his lifelong contributions to the revolution.
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Sun Yat-sen 孫中山
Founding Father, Republic of China
San - min - zhu - yi, wu dang suo zong, yi jian min
Sun Yat-sen 孫逸仙, also known as Sun Chung-shan 孫中山 and Sun Wen 孫文, was born in 1866 in a coastal village of Xiangshan
County 香山縣, Guangdong Province 廣東省. After receiving his early education in both Chinese and Western schools, he moved to Hawaii in 1879, where he attended Iolani and Oahu Colleges. In 1883, he returned to China to continue his studies, concentrating on the Chinese classics and history. He later moved to Hong Kong to attend Queen’s College and in 1892 graduated from Hong Kong Medical College for Chinese.
Deeply concerned at the Qing 清 dynas-ty government’s oppression, corruption and submissiveness toward foreign powers, Sun gave up his medical career to pursue politi-cal reform. In 1894, together with a group of young overseas Chinese, Sun established his first revolutionary organization, the Revive China Society 興中會, in Honolulu. His
political ideals are summarized in a set of doctrines called the Three Principles of the People 三民主義, comprising solidarity of the people, power to the people and prosperity of the people.
Over the next 16 years, Sun and his followers launched 10 futile attempts to topple the Qing government. Finally, on October 10, 1911, forces loyal to Sun took over Wuchang 武昌, the capital of Hubei Province 湖北省. Thereafter, other prov-inces and important cities joined the revo-lutionary camp and declared independence from the Qing government. On December 29, 1911, Sun was elected provisional presi-dent of the new Republic by delegates from across China gathered in Nanjing. He was inaugurated on January 1, 1912, the found-ing day of the ROC.
To preserve national unity, Sun relin-quished the presidency on April 1, 1912 to military strongman Yuan Shi-kai 袁世凱, who declared himself emperor in 1915. Sun and other leaders relocated to Japan to continue the revolutionary struggle until Yuan’s death in 1916. Thereafter, they organized a new government in Guangzhou 廣州, and in 1921 Sun became its president. He devoted the rest of his life to uniting China’s feuding factions.
Sun denied the inevitability of commu-nism in China. He believed that class strug-gle, an intrinsic element of communism, was not an inevitable stage in human progress. He reiterated this point in a joint declara-tion issued with Soviet envoy Adolf Joffe in 1923, which stated that communism was not suitable for China. Sun also believed that co-operation rather than class struggle was the driving force behind social development.
Sun died of cancer on March 12, 1925, at the age of 59 in Beijing. In 1940, he was posthumously declared the founding father of the ROC for his lifelong contributions to the revolution.
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Born in Hong Kong on July 13, 1950, Ma Ying-jeou moved with his family to Taiwan one year later. After receiving a bachelor
of law (LL.B.) degree from National Taiwan University 國立臺灣大學 in 1972 and per-forming his military service, he earned a master of laws (LL.M.) degree from New York University School of Law in 1976, and a doctor of juridical science (S.J.D.) degree from Harvard Law School in 1981.
Upon completion of his studies, Ma re-turned to Taiwan and dedicated his life to public service. In 1981, he became Deputy Director of the First Bureau at the Office of the President, doubling as President Chiang Ching-kuo’s 蔣經國 English interpreter and secretary. He later served concurrently as Deputy Secretary-General of the Kuomin-tang (KMT) 中國國民黨.
In 1988, Ma was appointed Chairman of the Research, Development and Evalu-ation Commission 行政院研究發展考核委員
會. Concurrently, he was assigned to form a Mainland Affairs Task Force 大陸工作會
報 in charge of formulating policy toward mainland China, and subsequently served as its Executive Secretary. Three years later, he was appointed Vice Chairman and Spokes-man of the new Mainland Affairs Council 行政院大陸委員會.
Ma became Minister of Justice in 1993. In that post, he directed aggressive cam-paigns to combat corruption, vote buying and organized crime, and he oversaw reform of the prison system. In 1996, he was ap-pointed Minister without Portfolio. A year later, he became an associate professor of law at National Chengchi University 國立政
治大學.
Ma Ying-jeou 馬英九
PresidentRepublic of China (Taiwan)
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In 1998, Ma won the race for mayor of Taipei City, and four years later won re-election by a landslide. In 2005 he was elected Chairman of the KMT, and in early 2007 announced his candidacy for the presi-dency. Campaigning on a platform to rejuve-nate the economy, build a clean government and improve relations with mainland China, he was elected the following year with 58.5 percent of the vote.
In his inaugural speech on May 20, 2008, President Ma pledged to create a more open and just society with expanded opportunity for the underprivileged. Not long after taking office, the president was met with a severe economic recession. The administration took swift response measures that included issuing a blanket bank deposit guarantee and lowering interest rates seven times. Stimulus programs were also adopted to create jobs, expand public infrastructure and spur private investment. Consequently, Taiwan was well-positioned for the global recovery that unfolded starting late 2009. Economic growth hit a 24-year high of 10.82 percent in 2010, and per capita GDP is forecast to surpass US$20,000 in 2011.
In cross-strait relations, President Ma has energetically promoted dialogue with main-land China. Since May 2008, the two sides have concluded 15 agreements covering a wide range of concerns, including direct transport, financial supervisory cooperation, mutual judicial assistance, and medical and health care. In particular, the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agree-ment 海峽兩岸經濟合作架構協議 is expected to usher in greater prosperity for both sides. This new model of cooperation has helped set a sound foundation for lasting peace in the region.
In international affairs, the administra-tion has been pursuing a policy of viable diplomacy 活路外交, which aims to redirect resources expended on diplomatic rivalry with mainland China to other causes of ben-efit to humanity. As a result, the ROC has seen many breakthroughs on the internation-al front. The nation joined the World Trade Organization’s Government Procurement Agreement in 2009, for example, and has been invited to attend meetings of the World Health Assembly since 2009. Additionally, the number of countries and territories ex-tending visa-free or landing visa privileges to ROC nationals has climbed from 53 when Ma entered office to 124 as of October 2011.
Domestically, the president has initiated wide-ranging reforms designed to build a more competitive nation. In 2010, local governments were restructured to raise the number of special municipalities from two to five, further integrating regional resources to improve efficiency and citizens’ quality of life. In 2011, a second-generation National Health Insurance system was approved in order to achieve greater efficiency, equity and quality. Meanwhile, steps are being taken to reduce the number of Cabinet-level agencies from 37 to 29 beginning January 2012.
With the ROC celebrating its centennial, President Ma in his 2011 New Year’s Day address declared his administration’s com-mitment to lead the nation into a prosperous second century, with emphasis on maintain-ing peace, providing humanitarian aid, and creating new technologies and business op-portunities. In laying a firm foundation for the future, the ROC will become a nation that is respected by the world and an inspi-ration to many.
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Vincent C. Siew 蕭萬長
Vice President Republic of China (Taiwan)
Vincent C. Siew was born on Janu-ary 3, 1939 in Chiayi City 嘉義
市, Taiwan. He graduated from National Chengchi University’s
國立政治大學 Department of Diplomacy in 1961, earned a master’s degree from the same institution in international law and diplomacy in 1965, and was awarded an Eisenhower Fel-lowship for study in the United States in 1985.
Siew joined the Ministry of Foreign Af-fairs in 1962, but after the ROC was forced to withdraw from the United Nations in 1971, he shifted his focus to economic af-fairs, convinced that the nation would need to rely on economic strength to hold its own in the international community.
As Director-General of the Bureau of Foreign Trade 經濟部國際貿易局 (1982-1988), Minister of Economic Affairs (1990-1993) and Chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development 行政院經濟建設
委員會 (1993-1994), Siew negotiated most-favored nation status with the United States and pushed through public projects that boosted economic development. In 1993 and 1994, he represented President Lee Teng-hui 李登輝 at Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meetings in Seattle and Jakarta be-fore being appointed in December 1994 as Chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council 行政院大陸委員會. In that position he initiated a series of measures to improve relations between Taiwan and mainland China.
After being elected as a legislator in 1995, Siew organized a cross-party caucus on legislation to facilitate Taiwan’s bid to join the World Trade Organization. When appointed Premier in August 1997, he was dubbed the “Commoner Premier” by the media because he comes from a farming
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family. In 2000, he was chosen as running mate to Kuomintang (KMT) 中國國民黨 presidential candidate Lien Chan 連戰, but the ticket lost due to a split in the KMT.
Siew’s premiership coincided with the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis and a devas-tating earthquake that struck central Taiwan on September 21, 1999. Under his leader-ship, Taiwan weathered the financial crisis far better than its neighbors, while suffering from the earthquake was kept to a minimum.
After leaving public office, Siew lectured at universities and devoted himself to civic affairs. Inspired by the European Union, he founded the Cross-Straits Common Market Foundation (CSCMF) 兩岸共同市場基金會 in 2001 to promote systemization of trade rela-tions between Taiwan and mainland China. In 2003, then President Chen Shui-bian 陳
水扁 recruited Siew to chair the Presidential Economic Advisory Panel 總統經濟顧問小組. In that capacity he helped stabilize the econ-omy in the aftermath of the SARS epidemic.
In June 2007, KMT presidential candi-date Ma Ying-jeou tapped Siew as his run-ning mate, and the pair won the March 22, 2008 election by a landslide. In April, in his capacity as CSCMF Chairman, Siew attend-ed the Boao Forum for Asia, where he and mainland Chinese leader Hu Jintao 胡錦濤 exchanged views on the future of relations across the Taiwan Strait. This “ice-breaking” trip helped pave the way for lively cross-strait interaction.
When the global financial crisis erupted in 2008, Vice President Siew led the Finan-cial and Economic Advisory Task Force of the Presidential Office 總統府財經諮詢小
組 in developing strategies for responding to it, including the issuance of consumer
vouchers, cuts in inheritance and gift taxes, and promotion of the development of emerging and service industries. And be-tween January and May 2009, he chaired six Roundtable Conferences for Cultural and Creative Industries 文化創意產業圓桌論壇 to build consensuses on policies.
Further, the Vice President serves as convener of the Presidential Office Human Rights Consultative Committee 總統府人權諮
詢委員會, established on December 10, 2010, Human Rights Day, and oversees arrange-ments for a year-long series of activities in celebration of the ROC Centennial in 2011.
In areas of vital importance to Taiwan’s future, Vice President Siew has striven to promote normalization of economic and trade relations across the Taiwan Strait. These efforts were rewarded when, in June 2010, Taiwan signed the Cross-Straits Eco-nomic Cooperation Framework Agreement 海峽兩岸經濟合作架構協議 with mainland Chi-na. Meanwhile, he also endeavors to help formulate strategies for pursuing free trade agreements with other trade partners.
The nation is fortunate that a man of such caliber stands by the President to help guide the nation through some of the most chal-lenging economic conditions seen in decades.
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Born in Nantou County’s 南投縣 Caotun Township 草屯鎮 in cen-tral Taiwan in 1948, Wu Den-yih was appointed the nation’s chief
executive officer on September 10, 2009 on the strength of his wealth of experience gar-nered from 36 years in public service. Most recently, he has served as a legislator as well as vice chairman and secretary-general of the Kuomintang 中國國民黨. Over the years, he has gained a reputation for decisiveness in framing and executing policies based on a firm grasp of people’s real needs and aspirations.
Wu’s well-known talent for articulate, impassioned expression was evident in his student days at National Taiwan University (NTU) 國立臺灣大學, where he majored in history. An essay he penned for publication in the student periodical University News 大學新聞, which he headed from 1968 to 1969, prompted the future ROC President Chiang Ching-kuo 蔣經國 to urge him to “serve the people and the nation.”
Taking these words to heart, after gradu-ating from NTU in 1970 and completing his military service, he worked as a journalist and editorial writer for the China Times 中國
時報 (1971-1973), where he became known for his insightful commentary. And at age 25, he stood for and won a seat in the Taipei City Council (1973-1983), becoming its youngest member.
As a councilman, Wu was resolute in holding fellow politicians and public ser-vants to a high standard of integrity. With respect to misconduct by a certain city of-ficial, for example, he asserted that bending the law is even more reprehensible than cor-ruption. As he has often done in his political
Wu Den-yih 吳敦義
PremierRepublic of China (Taiwan)
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career, Wu cited an ancient historical work in support of his contention that although secretly taking bribes violates the law, the law nevertheless survives; whereas when of-ficials publicly manipulate the law with im-punity, the law dies. The mayor and future president, Lee Teng-hui 李登輝, agreed and disciplined the official in question.
Wu’s direct, energetic style of keeping informed and resolving problems is illus-trated by his practice, both as Nantou County magistrate (1981-1989) and as Kaohsiung 高雄市 mayor (1990-1998), of throwing his doors open to the public once a week. If ac-companying government department heads failed to provide clear answers to citizens’ questions or propose satisfactory solutions to their problems, he took the initiative to do so.
Further illustrating his penchant for openness and direct interaction with the people he works for and with, Wu knew most borough chiefs by name within a short time of becoming Kaohsiung mayor, and he sometimes went out to meet with borough residents to discuss issues of special impor-tance. This proved invaluable, for example, in the implementation of vital infrastructure programs such as the construction of waste incinerators or laying down water mains.
Wu has frequently demonstrated his re-solve to safeguard the welfare of people un-der his care. The quarrying activities of two cement companies within the Kaohsiung City limits, for instance, had for many years caused severe pollution. Despite the pollut-ers’ influential social connections, Mayor Wu’s uncompromising effort to shut them down was finally successful. And under his forceful leadership, the Kaohsiung City
government became the first local govern-ment to institute a subsidized “nutritious lunch” program covering all elementary and junior high schools and to provide financial assistance to single parents.
As the nation enters its 100th year, Pre-mier Wu has declared that some of the top priorities of his Cabinet include economic innovation, workforce cultivation, carbon reduction, governance enhancement, and safeguarding citizens’ rights to a fair and just society. On the last topic, underscoring his commitment to promoting the welfare of the common person, the premier has direct-ed government agencies to step up efforts to increase employment and raise salary lev-els, provide affordable housing, encourage young people to start families, improve care for the elderly, and narrow the gap between rich and poor.
Keenly aware that Taiwan cannot hope to pursue such domestic goals in isolation from global problems—including the ex-acerbation of natural disasters by climate change, the cross-border spread of poten-tially lethal diseases, and instabilities in the global financial system—Premier Wu has also stressed the imperative for all gov-ernment departments to remain abreast of changing global trends, thereby enabling Taiwan to advance the common good of humanity.
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