Former president Lee Teng-hui (
"[He] will urge the international community to pay attention to the threat and impact of China's rising military power on the Taiwan Strait, the Asia-Pacific region, the United States and the world," Lee's office said in a statement.
"On the grounds of defending the universal value of democracy, he will further call on the international community not to sit idly by and leave the ambitions of a dictatorial China to annex democratic Taiwan unchecked," the statement said.
However, the US Department of State has been careful to describe Lee's visit as a "personal trip," in an effort to depoliticize his tour and avoid criticism from China.
Meanwhile, chanting "Down with Taiwan's independence," a small group of pro-unification activists protested at the airport before Lee's departure.
Lee made no comment.
During his two-week visit to meet with "old friends," the 82-year-old Lee will visit four US cities -- Anchorage, New York, Washington and Los Angeles -- where he will meet with senior executives of major Taiwanese associations, as well as US politicians, think tank members and opinion leaders.
An outspoken critic of China's military threat and diplomatic suppression of Taiwan, Lee will take advantage of his visit to draw attention to the possible impact of China's rise on the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, the Asia-Pacific region and the entire world, Lee's aides said.
Lee, often described as one of the spiritual leaders of the pro-independence movement, will also urge the international community not to condone China's increasingly evident attempts to annex Taiwan.
Meanwhile, his aides said, Lee will discuss with Taiwanese community leaders how to pool resources at home and abroad to defend Taiwan's national interests.
He will also exchange views with influential US congressional members, think tank researchers and social opinion leaders on the latest developments in the general international situation.
Lee retired in 2000, but Beijing still warns foreign governments against granting him visas, saying that he seizes any opportunity to advocate Taiwan's independence.
Lee will be in Washington from Oct. 17 to 20, during which he is scheduled to deliver a speech at the National Press Club.
During his tenure as president, Lee made a rare visit to the US in June 1995, which sparked a fierce protest from China.
Beijing was so outraged that it staged menacing war games and lobbed missiles into the Taiwan Strait.
INVESTIGATION: The case is the latest instance of a DPP figure being implicated in an espionage network accused of allegedly leaking information to Chinese intelligence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member Ho Jen-chieh (何仁傑) was detained and held incommunicado yesterday on suspicion of spying for China during his tenure as assistant to then-minister of foreign affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮). The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said Ho was implicated during its investigation into alleged spying activities by former Presidential Office consultant Wu Shang-yu (吳尚雨). Prosecutors said there is reason to believe Ho breached the National Security Act (國家安全法) by leaking classified Ministry of Foreign Affairs information to Chinese intelligence. Following interrogation, prosecutors petitioned the Taipei District Court to detain Ho, citing concerns over potential collusion or tampering of evidence. The
TRADE: The premier pledged safeguards on ‘Made in Taiwan’ labeling, anti-dumping measures and stricter export controls to strengthen its position in trade talks Products labeled “made in Taiwan” must be genuinely made in Taiwan, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday, vowing to enforce strict safeguards against “origin laundering” and initiate anti-dumping investigations to prevent China dumping its products in Taiwan. Cho made the remarks in a discussion session with representatives from industries in Kaohsiung. In response to the US government’s recent announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on its trading partners, President William Lai (賴清德) and Cho last week began a series of consultations with industry leaders nationwide to gather feedback and address concerns. Taiwanese and US officials held a videoconference on Friday evening to discuss the
NEGOTIATIONS: The US response to the countermeasures and plans Taiwan presented has been positive, including boosting procurement and investment, the president said Taiwan is included in the first group for trade negotiations with the US, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, as he seeks to shield Taiwanese exporters from a 32 percent tariff. In Washington, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in an interview on Fox News on Thursday that he would speak to his Taiwanese and Israeli counterparts yesterday about tariffs after holding a long discussion with the Vietnamese earlier. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday postponed punishing levies on multiple trade partners, including Taiwan, for three months after trillions of US dollars were wiped off global markets. He has maintained a 10 percent
PERSONAL DATA: The implicated KMT members allegedly compiled their petitions by copying names from party lists without the consent of the people concerned Judicial authorities searched six locations yesterday and questioned six people, including one elderly Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) member and five KMT Youth League associates, about alleged signature forgery and fraud relating to their recall efforts against two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. After launching a probe into alleged signature forgery and related fraud in the KMT’s recall effort, prosecutors received a number of complaints, including about one petition that had 1,748 signatures of voters whose family members said they had already passed away, and also voters who said they did not approve the use of their name, Taipei Deputy Chief Prosecutor
RSS