Voice of America
19 Sep 2020, 11:35 GMT+10
TAIPEI, TAIWAN - Taiwan bid farewell on Saturday to late president Lee Teng-hui, dubbed "Mr. Democracy" for ending autocratic rule in favor of free elections and championing Taiwan's separate identity from China.
Lee's memorial service took place in the shadow of Chinese war games, as did his election as Taiwan's first democratic leader in 1996. China claims the island as its own territory.
Lee was president from 1988 to 2000.
Lee's greatest act of defiance was becoming Taiwan's first democratically elected president in March 1996, achieved with a landslide following eight months of intimidating war games and missile tests by China in waters around the island.
Those events brought China and Taiwan to the verge of conflict, prompting the United States to send a carrier task force to the area in a warning to the Beijing government.
On Friday, China carried out drills in the Taiwan Strait, including sending 18 fighter jets to buzz the island, as Beijing expressed anger at the visit of a senior U.S. official to Taipei, there for Lee's memorial.
Speaking at the memorial service in a chapel at a Taipei university, President Tsai Ing-wen said he had shaped the Taiwan of today.
"Confronted with daunting international challenges, he skillfully led the people of Taiwan by promoting pragmatic diplomacy. Taiwan became synonymous with democracy and was catapulted onto the world stage. Because of this, President Lee came to be lauded as Mr. Democracy," Tsai said.
"Thanks to his efforts, Taiwan now shines as a beacon of democracy."
Lee, a committed Christian, died in July aged 97.
U.S. Undersecretary for Economic Affairs Keith Krach and former Japanese prime minister Yoshiro Mori also attended his memorial.
Lee's remains will be interred at a military cemetery next month.
Get a daily dose of China National News news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to China National News.
More InformationEAST HARTFORD, Connecticut: Roughly 3,000 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers began striking...
CHICAGO, Illinois: United Airlines will begin canceling around 35 daily flights—roughly 10 percent of its schedule—from Newark Liberty...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks rose sharply Thursday following the announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump of a new trade deal...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Dozens of major footwear companies, including Nike, Adidas, and Skechers, have signed a letter urging U.S. President...
IRVING, Texas: Kimberly-Clark, the maker of Kleenex tissues and Huggies diapers, announced this week it will invest US$2 billion over...
HONG KONG: Hong Kong's economy grew by 3.1 percent in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year, according...
HONG KONG: Hong Kong's economy grew by 3.1 percent in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year, according...
BEIJING, China: Homeowners in China are slashing prices to attract buyers as a growing number of resale properties flood the market....
TOKYO, Japan: Toyota is taking a fresh step toward autonomous driving by teaming up with Waymo to co-develop new vehicle platforms...
BEIJING, China: China's manufacturing sector lost steam in April, with activity shrinking at the fastest pace in over a year, as new...
Every day, police across Australia investigate thousands of incidents—any one of which could unlock a major case on the other side...
SYDNEY, Australia: A key measure of inflation in Australia has cooled to its lowest level in three years, lending weight to expectations...