In commemoration of 823 Artillery Bombardment

Chinese People’s Liberation Army launched an artillery bombardment on Kinmen, an off-shore island only a few kilometer from China, on August 23, 1958.  Kinmen was hit with 475,000 artillery shells over 44 days.   To commemorate those who died defending Kinmen against the PLA during the 823 Artillery Bombardment, President Tsai Ing-wen vitited Kimmen and attended the annual memorial.   The president burned incense, laid a wreath and bowed her head to pay her respects to those who died during the conflict. She was accompanied by Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng and National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo.    It was the third time since taking office in 2016 that Tsai has attended the annual memorial.  She later attended a luncheon for survivors and family members of those killed.    In her speech, Tsai said “A powerful defense is needed to maintain peace.   To keep the peace, we need to strengthen ourselves.  As such, we need to continue to reform the national defense, push for self-reliance, strengthen our defense capabilities and resilience.”  Tsai added that our position on maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is very firm.  There would be no Taiwan today if they had not prevailed during the crisis in 1958.

Fighting broke out on Aug. 23, 1958, when Chinese forces began an intense bombardment of Taiwan’s outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang counties in a bid to dislodge the Republic of China (ROC) government.  Taiwan fought with support from the US, which sent military equipment such as Sidewinder anti-aircraft missiles, giving Taiwan a technological edge.  The crisis ended in a stalemate.    However, China kept shelling onto kimmen for many years.   The crisis in Kimmen triggered a presidential debate between Nixon and Kenney during 1960 presidential election in US.