US ambassador Leonard S. Unger called on ROC president Chiang Ching-kuo at 2 a.m. on 16 December 1978 to announce that the US had decided to formally recognize the People’s Republic of China on 1 January 1979.
Seven hours later, US president Jimmy Carter went on television in Washington, DC, to make the announcement to the American public.
The sudden news left the whole of Taiwan feeling angry and affronted. The government and the public expressed their indignation in a variety of ways, while also giving voice to passionate patriotism and support for the government.
Civilians donated money and blood, soldiers volunteered to reenlist, and overseas Chinese around the world vowed to stand with the government.
Sinorama reported on these impassioned times with a large piece on the widespread acts of patriotism, and another story on the military preparedness of our armed forces.
Just a few months later, on 26 February 1979, Taiwan opened Chiang Kai-shek International Airport (renamed Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in October 2006). Occupying some 1,200 hectares, 135 hectares more than Tokyo’s Narita International Airport, it was then East Asia’s largest airport. The inauguration of this modern air transport hub was a brilliant milestone in the development of civil aviation in Taiwan.
The end of US–ROC diplomatic relations brought Taiwan’s public together, while the opening of Taoyuan International Airport later in that same year opened an air travel gateway to the world.
The end of US–ROC diplomatic relations brought Taiwan’s public together, while the opening of Taoyuan International Airport later in that same year opened an air travel gateway to the world.
The end of US–ROC diplomatic relations brought Taiwan’s public together, while the opening of Taoyuan International Airport later in that same year opened an air travel gateway to the world.