Print

Mail

wiki links

Singapore's Lee departs after series of secretive talks

After discussing international affairs and economic cooperation with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀) bade farewell to his host yesterday, ending his four-day trip to Taiwan.

Officials were tight-lipped about talks with Lee, describing them as an informal chat.

"The meeting was just a very relaxed exchange between two old friends. They freely exchanged opinions on many topics such as East-Asian countries' reaction to China's growing economy, the global anti-terrorism campaign, the trend of world development as well as the cross-strait situation," a Presidential Office official told reporters.

The official said that Lee was not in Taiwan to deliver a message from Beijing, as the media had speculated.

In keeping with the low-profile nature of his visit, Lee refused to answer reporters' questions, saying only that "everybody has been working hard and is tired."

During his visit, most of which was spent at the Tashee Resort in Taoyuan, Lee met a stream of politicians and officials, including Douglas Paal, director of the Taipei office of the American Institute in Taiwan; Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), chairwoman of the Mainland Affairs Council; Koo Chen-fu (辜振甫), chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation; Chang Jung-feng (張榮豐), deputy secretary-general of the National Security Council, and Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), deputy chairman of the KMT.

Lee exchanged views on subjects pertaining to the global economy, anti-terrorism efforts and the development of cross-strait relations.

Siew said he chatted with Lee in a casual and light-hearted atmosphere, "just like a reunion between old friends."

After a brief meeting with Lee, Tsai described the Singapore senior minister's visit as purely private in nature and she remained tight-lipped about their talks.

Lee's visit was his second in two years and came on the heels of a visit to Beijing.

Contrary to speculation, both Lee and local officials have denied that the minister brought any messages with him from Beijing.

Lee is considered by both the ruling and opposition parties in Taiwan to be the best candidate for the role of mediator between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Lee visited Taiwan in 1994 and again in September 2000, shortly after Chen took office.
This story has been viewed 1831 times.