Speech #780106522

Vice Minister in charge of Ministerial Affairs: Although It is a domestic issue. the repeal of the act as recommended by President Roosevelt will be exceedingly welcomed here and will be considered as further cementing the traditional friendship between the United States and China. There are several more to the same effect: CHUNsKIN. October 12.-President Roosevelts message to Congress endorsing the pending bill for the repeal of the Exclusion Act and the granting of naturalization rights to the Chinese In the United States has evoked widespread interest among the people here in Chungking who consider it to be of especial significance both during and after the present war. The Chinese particularly take heart at what the President said: "By the repeal of the Chinese exclusion laws. we can correct a historic mistake and silence the distorted Japanese propaganda." It is generally believed that the American people will share with their President the same sentiments and spare no efforts to abolish the discriminatory laws which have stood as an obstacle to friendly ChineseAmerican relations in the past. Dr. P. C. Chang. counselor of the Executive Yuan. said: "President Roosevelts message to Congress urging the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act to remove the discriminatory legislation is really a magnificent one: The spirit and the principle for which it stands counts most. Details about the quota are of second importance. China never hoped to solve her population problem by largescale immigration from China into the United States." Asked whether the views expressed by Dr. Sun Fo. President of the Legislative Yuan. in his recent article to the American press that the Mikado must go. represented the views of the Chinese Government.