US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar has paid his respects to former President Lee Teng-hui.
Lee died at the age of 97 on July 30. Lee helped paved the way for Taiwan’s first democratic presidential elections in 1996 and became Taiwan’s first democratically-elected president.
Azar spoke about Lee’s legacy during a speech at National Taiwan University on Tuesday. “President Lee is not only one of the great men in Taiwan's history, but in the broader history of Asia and the world's march toward democracy”, he said. “The democratic legacy he built has made Taiwan a leader not only in freedom and economic growth, but also in global health.”
On Wednesday, Azar visited a memorial to the late president at the Taipei Guest House. On the wall of the memorial, Azar wrote: “President Lee’s democratic legacy will forever propel the U.S.-Taiwan relationship forward.”
Azar is the highest ranking US official to visit Taiwan since the two sides ended formal diplomatic ties in 1979. In an interview with CNN on Monday, Azar said that his visit to Taiwan focused on health and on showing friendship towards Taiwan.
In related news, Azar met Tuesday with current Vice President William Lai and former Vice President Chen Chien-jen. On Wednesday, Chen said that the topics of discussion included the development of a vaccine or medication for COVID-19.