September 3, 2024
Leaders of Jiangsu Province and the city of Nanjing, Chairman Greene, General Fogleman, Ladies and gentlemen, Dear friends,
It is a great pleasure to join you at the historical photo tour of the Flying Tigers via video link, to remember the history and honor the heroes. Let me first pay tribute to all the Flying Tigers veterans and their families, and also extend my heartfelt thanks to the Foreign Affairs Office of Jiangsu Province and the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation for co-organizing this event!
The precious historical photos have brought us back to those fiery years eight decades ago. The story of the Flying Tigers, one in which the peoples of China and the United States fought shoulder to shoulder, marks an indelible episode in the world anti-fascist cause. The bond our two peoples forged amid the trials of blood and fire has been a constant source of inspiration for the China-U.S. relationship. And the spirit of the Flying Tigers, which remains relevant as ever, has been and will continue to be our common treasure.
The spirit of the Flying Tigers is about upholding justice and defending peace. In the toughest days in China’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression, a group of American pilots put themselves in harm’s way and headed to the battlefield in China, to defend justice and peace together with the Chinese people. They fought heroically against the Japanese invaders, shot down over 2,600 Japanese fighter jets, and opened up the Hump Route for transporting emergency supplies. More than 2,000 members of the Flying Tigers laid down their lives in the war. Today, in Chongqing, Kunming, Guilin and other places where the Flying Tigers fought, monuments and memorial halls stand as testimony to the touching stories of our two peoples standing with each other in the noble cause of peace.
The spirit of the Flying Tigers is about helping each other and uniting as one. In the WWII, thousands of Chinese soldiers and civilians sacrificed their lives to rescue over 200 American pilots. To save a pilot who was forced to make an emergency landing, local people in Xinxiang, Henan Province built a 1000-meter temporary runway overnight against all the odds for the rescue plane to land on. And in the Doolittle Raid in 1942, 64 American pilots were saved by people in Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces in a miracle rescue operation, undaunted by the ruthless revenge from the Japanese invaders. The profound friendship established between the Chinese people and the Flying Tigers in the flames of war should be passed down and stay evergreen.
The spirit of the Flying Tigers is also about valuing and renewing our friendship. The Chinese people never forget their old friends. When attending the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in San Francisco last November, President Xi Jinping invited Chairman Greene, Mr. Moyer and other representatives of the Flying Tigers for a friends’ reunion. In China, we believe “The virtuous live a long and blessed life.” During his trip to China last year, Mr. Moyer climbed the Badaling Great Wall, celebrated his 103th birthday, and sang Auld Lang Syne with Chinese kids. All those moments just warmed our hearts.
Today, we will have a special ceremony, to add the name of Lieutenant Jack Hammel, a Flying Tigers pilot who gave his life in China, to the Monument of Heroes. Heroes live on forever. Just as General Chennault wished, the sign of the Flying Tigers still remains aloft on both shores of the Pacific till this very day.
Dear friends,
In his reply letter to Chairman Greene, Mr. Moyer and Mr. McMullen on September 12 last year, President Xi spoke highly of the historical contributions of the Flying Tigers in assisting China in the war of resistance against Japanese aggression and the profound friendship forged between the two peoples. He expressed his hope that the spirit of the Flying Tigers will be carried on from generation to generation.
Nearly 80 years after the end of the WWII, China is still helping to search for the remains of U.S. troops who assisted China. To date, nearly 500 Flying Tigers veterans and hundreds of their family members have visited China. We welcome the veterans to come back to China often, and jointly support the “Flying Tigers Friendship School and Youth Leaders Program” and President Xi’s initiative of inviting 50,000 young Americans to China on exchange and study programs in the next five years.
I have learned that this photo exhibition will also be held in Changting and Changsha aside from Nanjing. I would encourage the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation and other organizations to hold more similar events in the United States as well, to tell the story of the Flying Tigers to the public, and continue playing a positive role in enhancing exchanges between our two peoples and deepening our time-honored friendship.
The story of the Flying Tigers has also told us that peace has not come easy and must be preserved with joint efforts. In the era of war, our two countries fought side by side for peace and justice; in the era of peace, we have only the shared responsibility for upholding peace, and no single reason to engage in conflict or confrontation. We should be responsible for history, for the people and for the world, and find a right way for our two countries to get along in the spirit of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.
It is my hope and belief that more and more Flying Tigers members of the new generation will take over the baton, write new stories of friendship and cooperation, and contribute to the stable, sound and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations, so that the spirit of the Flying Tigers will continue to shine in the new era.
Thank you.
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