Former president Lee Teng-hui (
Lee made the remarks in a speech to members of the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association and the Lee Teng-hui Academy in Kaohsiung.
The speech was Lee's first public attempt at explaining himself in the face of mounting opposition after an article last week cast doubt over his commitment to Taiwan's independence.
PHOTO: CHANG CHUNG-YI, TAIPEI TIMES
Lee has faced an avalanche of complaints in the wake of an article which quoted him as saying that he had never been an advocate of official independence for the country. The article, which appeared in the Chinese?language tabloid Next Magazine on Jan. 31, also quoted Lee as saying he hoped to visit China.
Lee yesterday said that some people had deliberately distorted his thoughts.
"Recently, some people have called me capricious. But I have always made the people my first priority, thinking about how to bring wellbeing and happiness to people. I never change these basic beliefs. What I care about is how to solve people's problems in the new era we're in," he said.
Lee also attempted to clarify the magazine article during an interview with TVBS and ran an advertisement in the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister newspaper) on Friday.
In an interview with the Liberty Times on Saturday, published yesterday, Lee told the paper it was unlikely he would visit China.
"On the one hand, [it is because of my] physical condition. On the other hand, one cannot imagine the consequences [of my visiting China] for Taiwan," Lee was quoted as saying in the interview.
Elaborating on why he had decided to make his recent remarks regarding Taiwan's status, Lee told the Liberty Times he hoped the ruling and opposition parties would drop the debate over independence for the moment so that they could devote themselves to addressing issues affecting the nation's economic development and the daily lives of the people.
Lee said he was in favor of Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Chairman Huang Kun-huei's (黃昆輝) recent proposal that the party adopt a more "moderate" approach in its pursuit of democracy.
"The approach ... is a matter of class, which has nothing to do with the debate over unification [with China] or [Taiwanese] independence," Lee said.
Enraged by the Next Magazine article, pro-independence supporters such as Lee Shiao-feng (李筱峰), a professor of Taiwanese history at Shih Hsin University and Chih Heng-wei (金恆煒), the editor-in-chief of Contemporary Monthly, announced on Saturday that they would withdraw from organizations affiliated with Lee.
Tsai Shu-mei (蔡淑美), executive director of the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, said on Thursday that seven chapters of the group had considered disbanding in reaction to Lee's alleged remarks.
But after Lee's address yesterday morning, Hwang Kun-hu (黃崑虎), president of the association, told the press that the group would not disband.
"We had a happy conversation and we've all accepted [Lee's explanations]," Hwang said.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft