[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 157 (Monday, October 2, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1302]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             COMMEMORATING THE 106TH ANNIVERSARY OF TAIWAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 2, 2017

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the people of Taiwan 
on the 106th anniversary of their republic, celebrated on October 10th. 
October 10th, known in Taiwan as ``Double Ten Day'', is revered by the 
Taiwanese people--just as Fourth of July is here in the United States. 
It commemorates the Wuchang Uprising, which triggered a revolution that 
led to the overthrow of China's imperial regime and the establishment 
of the Republic of China.
  Since the Republic of China was founded on January 1, 1912, the 
people of Taiwan have developed a democracy of which they should be 
proud. They are our 10th largest trading partner, including more than 
$200 million in purchases from my home state of Michigan. They are an 
economically and socially growing nation, that has recently implemented 
a single-payer National Health Insurance (NHI) system. This system is 
similar to legislation that I have been championing in the U.S. House 
for more than a decade, and which Bernie Sanders recently introduced in 
the U.S. Senate. I believe that America has much to learn from this 
work, and I am eager to see them succeed in guaranteeing their citizens 
a universal right to healthcare--a practice America would do well to 
follow.
  I also want to commend the people of Taiwan on their success this 
past year, in which they inaugurated their first female president--a 
first not only for the island, but also the first woman elected head of 
state in Asia in her own right, who was not related to a notable male 
politician.
  I want to congratulate my friends across the ocean and wish them a 
very happy 106th Double Ten Day.

                          ____________________