Former president Lee Teng-hui (
Lee, who held a low-key birthday celebration at his Taipei residence yesterday, told the press he has accepted an invitation to attend the congress of the Taiwanese Association of America (TAA) in Washington from May 24 to May 27.
Lee is scheduled to stay in the US for up to 10 days, during which the former president will give speeches, visit congressional leaders and think tanks and play golf with US officials.
TAA President Timmy Chiu (邱義昌) portrayed the upcoming trip as yet another opportunity for Lee and overseas Taiwanese to assert Taiwan's sovereignty to the world in general and its only superpower.
"We hope to maximize Lee's visibility during his visit to help break the diplomatic isolation China has sought to impose on Taiwan," said Chiu, who came to Taipei a few days ago to deliver the invitation in person.
Lee, who turned 79 yesterday, said he would travel again to the US if things go as planned.
A dozen former aides led by former secretary-general of the National Security Council Yin Tsung-wen (殷宗文) arrived at his residence to wish him a happy birthday.
Later in the evening, his family and former aides threw a dinner party for Lee where he pledged to commit himself to promoting democratic reform in Taiwan for the rest of his life.
"As a Christian, I want to continually take up the cross and fight for the country's democratic progress," Lee said of his birthday wish. "If I quit, the reform we have achieved in the last 12 years will be undone."
The TAA, founded in 1970, lobbies in the US to promote Taiwan's independence, according to Chiu. The association consists of about 10,000 members in more than 60 chapters in major US cities, he added.
"Though details are still under discussion, Lee is expected to highlight Taiwan's sovereign status and its democratic achievements during his address to the TAA and the National Press Club," Chiu said.
He said high-ranking US State Department officials had assured him that Lee could tour anywhere upon his arrival now that Lee no longer holds office.
"Officials such as Richard Bush [chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan] have said without reservation that Lee, as a private citizen, can go anywhere he wants," Chiu said. "Should any obstacles later arise, we will try our best to remove them."
Beijing has sought unremittingly to block Lee's foreign travel in an attempt to squeeze Taiwan out of the international community. It has halted talks with Taipei since Lee characterized cross-strait ties as "special state-to-state" in nature in July 1999.
Chiu said several US congressional leaders had expressed an interest in meeting Lee.
Chiu added that the TAA will also help arrange meetings between Lee and House majority leader Tom Delay and former president George Bush.
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