President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) conferred a second-class medal of the Order of the Brilliant Star on former representative to the US David Lee (李大維) yesterday for his contributions to Taiwan-US relations and a lifetime dedication to foreign affairs.
Lee's family, Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yang Tzu-pao (楊子葆) attended the ceremony at the Presidential Office.
After the medal ceremony, Lee shared his feelings about serving as an envoy over the past seven years.
Lee served as representative to the EU and Belgium from 2001 to 2004 and then the top envoy from 2004 to this past April.
He is now serving as the representative to Canada.
In his speech, Lee recalled Chen's directive to him before he left for Washington -- to strive for smooth communication with the US. Lee said he never forgot Chen's instructions during his time in Washington.
Lee said he had tried his best to fulfill his mission. He also said he was impressed with Chen's vitality and earnestness in expanding Taiwan's diplomatic space.
"It can be easy and happy to be a diplomat for Taiwan," he said. "But when you really want to strive for Taiwan's national interests, it can be a tough job."
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