Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said on Friday that an upcoming book from Japanese publisher Shueisha, “Great Figures in the History of Asia,” should respect former Taiwan President Lee Tung-hui’s (李登輝) view that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country. Chen’s comments in the Legislature came as a response to the book classifying the former president as a “Chinese” historical figure. The book is part of a series covering important people in Asian history.
Chen says that Lee made significant contributions to Taiwan’s freedom, democracy, and economic development and that the former president’s views on Taiwan should be respected.
Lee’s daughter and chairperson of the Lee Tung-hui Foundation Anne Lee (李安妮) has also issued a statement expressing her regret at the news, and emphasizing that her father is Taiwanese.
Lee Tung-hui was born in Japanese colonial Taiwan in 1923. He served in the Imperial Japanese military, before moving into a life of politics. He became Taiwan’s first democratically elected president following the authoritarian period in 1996 and is often referred to as the “father of Taiwanese democracy”.