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-hui'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.
NO-LIMITS PARTNERSHIP: ‘The bottom line’ is that if the US were to have a conflict with China or Russia it would likely open up a second front with the other, a US senator said Beijing and Moscow could cooperate in a conflict over Taiwan, the top US intelligence chief told the US Senate this week. “We see China and Russia, for the first time, exercising together in relation to Taiwan and recognizing that this is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with them, and we see no reason why they wouldn’t,” US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Thursday. US Senator Mike Rounds asked Haines about such a potential scenario. He also asked US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse
INSPIRING: Taiwan has been a model in the Asia-Pacific region with its democratic transition, free and fair elections and open society, the vice president-elect said Taiwan can play a leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region, vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) told a forum in Taipei yesterday, highlighting the nation’s resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges. “Not only can Taiwan help, but Taiwan can lead ... not only can Taiwan play a leadership role, but Taiwan’s leadership is important to the world,” Hsiao told the annual forum hosted by the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation think tank. Hsiao thanked Taiwan’s international friends for their long-term support, citing the example of US President Joe Biden last month signing into law a bill to provide aid to Taiwan,
China’s intrusive and territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific region are “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive,” new US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo said on Friday, adding that he would continue working with allies and partners to keep the area free and open. Paparo made the remarks at a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, where he took over the command from Admiral John Aquilino. “Our world faces a complex problem set in the troubling actions of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and its rapid buildup of forces. We must be ready to answer the PRC’s increasingly intrusive and
STATE OF THE NATION: The legislature should invite the president to deliver an address every year, the TPP said, adding that Lai should also have to answer legislators’ questions The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday proposed inviting president-elect William Lai (賴清德) to make a historic first state of the nation address at the legislature following his inauguration on May 20. Lai is expected to face many domestic and international challenges, and should clarify his intended policies with the public’s representatives, KMT caucus secretary-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said when making the proposal at a meeting of the legislature’s Procedure Committee. The committee voted to add the item to the agenda for Friday, along with another similar proposal put forward by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The invitation is in line with Article 15-2