onsdag 25. september 2024
In Retrospect: The Death of Chiang Kai-shek
The generalissimo, in severely declining health, did not even appear in public during the final two years of his life. But until the end, Chiang held the title of President of the Republic of China, insisting that he was the sole legitimate ruler of the entire country. Even after Taiwan’s expulsion from the U.N. in 1971, Chiang rejected all attempts at compromise. As long as he was alive, recovery of the mainland stood, in his words, as “the inalterable national purpose.” As the world embarked on the quest for a new relationship with his enemy in Peking, Chiang never budged. And thus, the world simply had to step around him.
