[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14878]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            NATIONAL DAY FOR THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA ON TAIWAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 20, 2012

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, on October 3, 2012, the Taipei 
Economic and Cultural Representative Office, located in Washington, DC, 
will be celebrating the 101st National Day of the Republic of China on 
Taiwan at the beautiful Twin Oaks Estate. I rise today in advance of 
this celebration to offer my continued praise and support of the U.S.-
Taiwanese relationship and to acknowledge the good work of Jason Yuan, 
who after serving four years as Taiwan's Washington Representative is 
returning to Taiwan to continue his distinguished career by serving as 
Secretary General of the National Security Council. Mr. Yuan has worked 
tirelessly to further the mutually beneficial relationship between the 
United States and Taiwan.
  As the people of the Republic of China on Taiwan celebrate the 101st 
anniversary of their nation's founding, I congratulate them on their 
National Day and would like to commend them for more than 100 years of 
progress. As a good friend and ally of the United States, the Republic 
of China on Taiwan remains a peaceful and prosperous democracy, and is 
a model for nations around the world.
  I would like to take a moment and recognize the 23 million citizens 
of Taiwan for their commitment to peace. As a symbol of this 
commitment, the Republic of China on Taiwan recently melted down 
artillery shells and used the metal to construct a ``Peace Bell.'' 
President Ma Ying-jeou also proposed a peace initiative in the hope of 
easing the recent tensions in the East China Sea. The initiative calls 
on all parties concerned to show restraint, shelve controversies and 
settle disputes in a peaceful manner. It also urges all parties 
concerned to strive for a consensus on a code of conduct in the East 
China Sea, and to establish a mechanism for cooperation on exploring 
and developing resources in the region. We celebrate these efforts to 
maintain good relations with other countries, and the United States is 
proud to call the Republic of China on Taiwan a partner in peace.
  In closing, I hope my colleagues will join me in thanking Ambassador 
Yuan for his service along with President Ma, Vice President Wu, and 
the people of the Republic of China on Taiwan for their continued 
commitment to peace and democracy on this anniversary of their National 
Day. Although I am retiring from the United States House of 
Representatives, please be assured that my support, commitment and 
friendship to Taiwan will remain strong, and will never die.

                          ____________________