ASIAN TOUR 1967 TA IWIAN
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER, IOR. HAROLD HOLT, AT STATE DINNER
GIVEN BY VICE PRESIDENT AND MRS. YEN IN TAIPEI ARIL, 197
Mr. Vice President, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen:
First I must apologise because my speech will be rather
longer, or at least I am afraid it will seem longer, than that
of His Excellency, -the Vice President, not only because the text
is longer, but it is longer because I really have much more to
thank him about than he has to thank mie about, and I have seen
so much and done so much in this short time here, about which
I wish to make some references.
And so, Mr. Vice Pmsident, I must first of all express
the grateful thanks of myself of Mirs. Holt and all members of my
party, for the very warm and cordial welcome we have rcceived
wherever we have moved on our visit here. VWe have felt that we
have been particularly privileged and honoured to have been received
and entertained with such gracious hospitality by His Excellency
your distinguished President Chiang Kni-Shek and Madam Chiang.
I have valued the opportunity which came to me last night for my
first discussion with your President and I look forward 8 eatly to
talking with him again as wie have arranged before I leave tomorrow
morning. I must also thank you, Mr. Vice President and Mrs. Yen,
for many things. Virstly, for the warmth of your welcome the
intimate and frank discussions we were abl.--to hold together both
in your Cabinet Room and as wie have moved about together. The way
in which you have sacrificed your own time and convenience to
accompany mie as I have moved about your industries this morning
and finally, but by no means least, for according us this magnificent
dinner this evening in such a memorable and glorious setting, and in
the company of such a large anE distinguished gathering. It gives
mie particular pleasure, as I am sure it does to all of my company
to be feted in this splendid hall, dedicated to the memory of
Dr. Sun Yat Sen, the father of modern China. I feel I can take a
certain pride in being the first Prime Minie'ter from Australia to
visit the Republic of China and I interpret quite confidontly the
reception that you have given me as a true reflection of the
tradition of friendship between our two countries.
Our Australian Embassy shared with you the hardships and
rigours of war-time days in Chungking and I am pleased that my own
government was recently responsible for re-establishing our mission
here in your present capital. Your own embassy in Canberra is one
of the oldest diplomatic missions in our capital city.
In the yea-rs since we first became associated our
countries have both been through crises and je still live in
turbulent times, but we both pursue courses of action designed
to promote the things we believe in peace, social justice,
individual liberty, the advancement of human wellbeing and the
right of all peoples to determine their own future and to defend
their sovereign independence. Vie in Australia, espousing as we
do all these causes in the United Nations and elsewhere, have given
you our constant support to the Republic of China in the Security
Council, the General Assembly, and all organs of the United Nations.
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Mrs. Holt and I and mly party will leave Taipei tomorrow
morning with very happy recollections of our brief stay with you,
but, although this visit has been short, thanks to the care,
Mr. Vice President, that you have taken in arranging our programmie,
we have learned much from what vie have been told by you and your
Ministers and officials, and froL all that vie have been shown,
and what we have been able to see as wie have moved around, vie have
been particularly impressed by wvhat have seen of the rapid
economic grovith, the prosperity, the wellbeing of thij province and
the evident happiness of your people.
Your achievements in agriculture were apparent as wie flew
into your city, since then we have seen your large petroleum
and alumainium. plants, your iriagincative export development complex
at Kaohsiung with its new industries, somie of them highly
sophisticated, and we have noted the emphasis you give to encouragement
of private initiative and to investment from abroad. The enthusiasm
and efficiency which you are making and displaying are an obvious mark
of this project and thcese things provide a striking illustration of
what can be achieved in a free country where effective planning
goes hand in hand with the provision of suitable incentives to
private nitiative. As for the growing trade between us, we hope and confidently
expect that thio will steadily expand. We've watched with interest
and admiration what the Republic of China is doing to assist less
developed countries, particularly in Africa, and particularly in
the field of technical skill. Your api. roach to the provision of
training in agriculture is obviously sound as is shown by your
achievement in raising productivity by as much as ten times per
hectare in some cases in the countries you've assisted. We fully
endorse your conviction tha-, t the only sure-way of instilling efficient
and modern techniques is by sending out experts who are practical men
and women and who are willin, to prove the effectiveness of these
techniques by their own physical efforts, whether knee deep in mud
in a rice field, or covered in grease underneath a bus. We have
ourselves, found that our best successes in the field of technical
aid have been gained by expe rts who were able to teach by their own
example instead of merely by oral or written explanation.
Finally, I have had the pleasure this afternoon, as has
Mrs. Holt and others of our party, of examining some of China's most
ancient and precious treasures, and this has been a fascinating
experience, even though necessarily a short one. There are many of
my fellow countrymen who would give a great deal to be able to share
this experience Mr. Vice President. I know there would be practical
problems, but is there the possibility of mounting at some time an
exhibition of some of these magnificent pieces in some of our
Australian cities? It would be assured of very great interest and
applause from my countrym.-en.
This tour I have been making, Mr. Vice President, has been
in the nature of an educational process for mie. I believe that
education broadens knmowledge that knowledge in turn encouragee
understanding, and that understanding builds friendship, and I am
sure that this particular visit not only has added by wany of
eaucation to my knowledge and hias increased Liy understanding of your
people and your problems, I am sure -i* c has also given new warmth,
or added warmth, and greater depth to the friendship between our two
countries and between those of us who have the responsibility of
leading -these two countries.
And because I value so grelatly this process and the
contribution that you and your colleagues hc: ive made to it, and in
that spirit that I do ask you to rise and join with me first in
honouring the toast of your great President Chiang Xai-Shek and
Madame Chiang, anJ then the toast to the Vice President and
Mrs. Yen, and all your colleagues of the government, and finally,
the people of Taiwan Liay they go on in security, prosperity and
hapliness and may the friendship of the Australian people contribute
to those felicious purposes. I give you the toast.