Speaking of his troubled relationship with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), former president and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) spiritual leader Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) said yesterday that he no longer has any faith in Chen's words while reiterating the importance of trust for a political figure.
Appearing in an interview on the political talkshow Voice of Taiwan yesterday night, Lee said yesterday that given that the National Assembly elections are today, it was difficult to discern Chen's true motives.
"It is good that he is returning to the path of Taiwanese conciousness. But with him changing his position all the time, there's no way he can ask the people to believe him. I cannot believe him," said Lee yesterday to interviewer Wang Ben-hu (
Drawing upon his experience, Lee emphasized yesterday that "a truly strong leader draws his support from the people." A true leader "explains his vision and direction clearly to the people" and helps them understand.
"The meaning of unity lies in trust," Lee said.
Lee also denied Chen's remarks earlier this year that Lee had called on Chen to form a 10-point consensus with People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) in February.
"I don't talk with Chen very much, actually. My policy is that I don't want to bother him," said Lee, adding that he talks to Chen only when Chen contacts him about "problems."
At the time of the February Chen-Soong meet, Lee said, Chen had contacted Lee only after the meet had occurred, thus Lee had not seen the need to give any opinions.
Lee also said yesterday that those who support unification with China were scaring the Taiwanese people with the threat of war. In this way, Lee said, the pro-unification faction is attempting to scare young people away from giving their support to the Taiwanese independence movement.
As a result, Lee said, that is why China passed its "Anti-Secession" Law in March -- because it does not dare to declare war on Taiwan.
When asked why Lee did not deny the so-called "1992 consensus" when he was president, as criticized by Chen in a Monday TV interview, Lee said, "There was no need to deny something which did not exist."
A group of Taiwanese-American and Tibetan-American students at Harvard University on Saturday disrupted Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng’s (謝鋒) speech at the school, accusing him of being responsible for numerous human rights violations. Four students — two Taiwanese Americans and two from Tibet — held up banners inside a conference hall where Xie was delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the Harvard Kennedy School China Conference 2024. In a video clip provided by the Coalition of Students Resisting the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), Taiwanese-American Cosette Wu (吳亭樺) and Tibetan-American Tsering Yangchen are seen holding banners that together read:
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