[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18172]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 CONGRATULATING THE PEOPLE OF THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA ON THEIR NATIONAL 
                         DAY, OCTOBER 10, 2000

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 14, 2000

  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, as we may recall, the island of Taiwan 
was hit by a devastating earthquake last year on September 21. 
Thousands lost their lives and damage costs ran into the hundreds of 
millions. In what was already becoming troubling economic times, that 
prospering island nation was nearly brought to its knees. We who are 
Taiwan's regional neighbors know that, prior to the earthquake, the 
people of Taiwan were getting ready to celebrate their most important 
public holiday on October 10th affectionately known as ``10-10,'' 
Taiwan's National Day is celebrated with the same sense of loyalty and 
patriotism, the same sense of pride, and with the same gusto as we 
celebrate our most important public holiday, the Fourth of July. 
Imagine then how pained, how joyless and how sad the people of Taiwan 
must have been to find themselves in the midst of overwhelming tragedy 
instead of joyous celebration.
  A year has passed, and like the rest of the world, the Republic of 
China has stepped into the 21st century. Their recovery from the 
earthquake has been slow and steady, and some signs of the devastation 
still remain. Reconstruction and rebuilding of their economy is 
progressing so that now they can mark the anniversary of earthquake 
with solemnity and yet prepare to celebrate ``10-10'' with renewed hope 
and with renewed confidence in themselves.
  We in Guam know all too well how important ``10-10'' is to the people 
of Taiwan, because the Taiwan Chinese community of Guam has always been 
generous in their celebrations, inviting our participation and sharing 
all the good things that make us brothers, sisters and cousins of the 
Pacific. Their contributions to Guam are immense, yet they remain 
humble and hardworking, and they go about their lives quietly helping 
to build our economy, enhancing our pool of professional skill and 
talent, and enriching our island community. We, who are no strangers to 
natural disasters, mourned with the people of Taiwan last year. This 
year, we, who know what it is like to reject defeat and to work hard 
toward full recovery, look forward with them to a joyful celebration.
  Mr. Speaker, this October 10th the Republic of China will celebrate 
its 89th anniversary as a free and prosperous democracy. I think the 
earthquake in Taiwan pointed out the real success story that is 
Taiwan--that their relationships with people throughout the world are 
so good that so many came to their aid. Nothing is as serious a sign of 
our common humanity than when we are most vulnerable, and certainly 
times of natural disaster point that out. And I think it is very 
important that we continue to express our support for Taiwan.
  At its essence, ``10-10'' is a celebration of the amazing successes 
people can achieve when they are free to exercise their rights, when 
they can aspire to greater things, when they can pursue what they 
desire for themselves, their families and their nation, when they 
refuse to be defeated. The Republic of China's continuing triumph is an 
inspiration to all freedom-loving people around the world. For this, we 
thank them. On this year's commemoration of ``10-10,'' we congratulate 
them.

                          ____________________