PR-2024
July 31, 2020
Statement on the Passing of Former President Lee Teng-hui
AIT expresses its deepest condolences upon the passing of Lee Teng-hui, former president, reformer, partner, and friend of the United States. Taiwan’s astonishing transition from martial law to full democratization in a little over a decade took place under President Lee’s leadership, and forms the foundation of the U.S.-Taiwan partnership that has brought so much benefit to the Indo-Pacific region and the world. An alumnus of Iowa State University and Cornell University, President Lee also epitomized the strong people-to-people ties which bind the United States and Taiwan. President Lee’s success in transforming Taiwan into a beacon of freedom and democracy and in cementing the U.S.-Taiwan friendship will be felt by many future generations.