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Taiwan bid farewell on Saturday to late-president Lee Teng-hui, dubbed “Mr. Democracy” for ending autocratic rule in favour of free elections and championing Taiwan’s separate identification from China.
Lee’s memorial service came about within the shadow of Chinese war video games, as did his election as Taiwan’s first democratic chief in 1996. China claims the island as its personal territory.
Lee was president from 1988 to 2000.
Lee’s best act of defiance was changing into Taiwan’s first democratically-elected president in March 1996, achieved with a landslide following eight months of intimidating war video games and missile checks by China in waters across the island.
Those occasions introduced China and Taiwan to the verge of battle, prompting the United States to ship a provider activity power to the world in a warning to the Beijing authorities.
On Friday, China carried out drills within the Taiwan Strait, together with sending 18 fighter jets to buzz the island, as Beijing expressed anger on the go to of a senior U.S. official to Taipei, there for Lee’s memorial.
Speaking on the memorial service in a chapel at a Taipei college, President Tsai Ing-wen stated he had formed the Taiwan of at this time.
“Confronted with daunting international challenges, he skilfully 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 stated.
“Thanks to his efforts, Taiwan now shines as a beacon of democracy.”
Lee, a dedicated Christian, died in July aged 97.
U.S. Undersecretary for Economic Affairs Keith Krach and former Japanese prime minister Yoshiro Mori additionally attended his memorial.
Lee’s stays can be interred at a navy cemetery subsequent month.
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