Former president Lee Teng-hui (
The US government is not planning to interfere with Lee's trip, allaying the fears of some pro-Taiwan independence groups, who were concerned that the Bush administration might bar him from visiting Washington, or the US at all, in deference to China.
A State Department official said the department it would not raise official objections to Lee's trip.
"He is a private person, and if he comes, he will be treated as a private person," the official told the Taipei Times.
A room has been reserved at the National Press Club in Washington for Lee's press conference on Oct. 6, said Peter Hickman, the head of the club's speakers committee. The event will be sponsored by the club itself.
The reservation was made at the request of the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA), a leading pro-independence lobbying group in Washington.
"I'm delighted" Hickman said when told of the State Department's position.
Hickman, a staunch supporter of Taiwan, has battled many times in the past with the department and with the Chinese Embassy over Taiwanese leaders speaking at the club.
He has also repeatedly invited President Chen Shui-bian (
"The Chinese Embassy will still bitch about [the Lee press conference]," Hickman said.
As is usual with any Taiwanese speaker at the club, the ROC flag is supposed to be flown during the event. The flag is prominently displayed in the club's lobby, along with the flags of dozens of other nations.
That has pitted Hickman against the Chinese embassy on numerous occasions. Each time a Chinese official speaks at the club, the embassy demands the removal of the ROC flag, a demand Hickman steadfastly rejects.
This time, the situation is curiously different.
This time, it is the pro-independence Taiwan groups who are objecting to the flag, which they consider the flag of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
They would prefer a different banner, but the only current alternative is the green-and-white Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) pennant, although Lee is not in the DPP.
"I'd like to have [the flag] there, but I guess I should respect my guests," Hickman says.
"If they want to bring a DPP flag, that would be alright with me. I don't care," he said.
However, Hickman said, "we don't have to have any flag there."
As a result, it is possible that no ROC flag will be flown as Lee speaks, a first for the club, Hickman concedes.
"I don't know what to do about it," he said.
Lee will visit Washington, and other cities, at the invitation of FAPA and other Taiwanese-American groups.
He is also planning to visit New York and his alma mater, Cornell University. The visit to Cornell will revive memories of Lee's 1995 trip, which was originally barred by the Clinton administration, but was allowed to proceed when Congress passed a resolution overriding the objections of the White House.
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
RSS