President Ma Ying-jeou has presented commemorative medals to the descendants of Soviet Volunteer Group pilots.
The Soviet Volunteer Group was sent to support the Republic of China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Republic of China government relocated to Taiwan in 1949 after it lost the Chinese Civil War to Chinese communists.
On Thursday Ma presented medals to the families of Soviet Volunteer Group pilots Constantin Opasov and Nikolai Matveev. This is the first time that the Republic of China government has publicly recognized the contribution of the Soviet pilots.
"When the Marco Polo Bridge Incident broke out in 1937, China’s Second World War had already begun," said Ma. "We fought on our own, with practically no outside help at all. The Soviet Union’s assistance was the only exception, and the timely assistance was very much appreciated," he said.
Ma said the Soviet Volunteer Group’s contribution was later buried in history because of the Cold War. He said he would like to thank the volunteers who fought during the war.