President Ma Ying-jeou says that victory against the Japanese aggression during WWII signals the importance of peace. Ma was speaking at a forum on education and innovation cooperation between Taiwan and Israel on Monday.
An Israeli delegation is in Taiwan to attend the forum.
Ma said that although Taiwan and Israel are far apart, the two shared a similar wartime experience. That’s because six million Jews were killed during WWII and more than 20 million Chinese people died during the Sino-Japanese War.
Ma talked about the story of a Chinese diplomat Ho Feng-shan who rescued thousands of Jews between 1938 and 1940 by issuing them visas to Shanghai.
“At that time, Germany and the Republic of China had diplomatic ties," said Ma. "Despite pressure from Germany, the counsel general continued issuing visas to [Jews]. When Israel was established after the war, Ho was highly esteemed and named righteous among the nations.”
The Republic of China is Taiwan’s official name.