Aspirations of Chinese republic

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32564, 25 March 1971, Page 15

Aspirations of Chinese republic

(From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON, March 24. The Chief of General Staff of the Republic of China (General Ming-Tang Lai), who arrived in Wellington this week for discussions with New Zealand political and service heads, said that the process of returning to mainland China was well under way. “It is the people of China, with its population of 700 million, who are initiating this,” he said. “The armed services will play their part when the time comes.” On Taiwan and the offshore islands, General Ming said, there were 600,000 republican servicemen, divided into five service groups. The republican forces had not adopted a passive role. For many years, for instance, the Air Force had been penetrating deep into the Chinese mainland on photographic and leaflet raids. Artillery continuously exchanged fire. General Ming, who will be 60 in May, went through the

Chinese Military Academy in 1930 and the Central Aviation School in 1932. He flew as a fighter pilot against the Japanese, and had a close knowledge of the American volunteer flying group, the Flying Tigers, which used the same aircraft, the Curtiss P4O Tomahawk. After United States and London appointments, he became Director of Intelligence in the Ministry of National Defence, was Deputy Chief of the General Staff from 1954 to 1959, and was made commander-in-chief of the Chinese Air Force in 1967.