Also available: Profile of President Lee from Cornell Magazine
President Clinton Monday authorized the visit of President Lee Teng-hui of the Republic of China on Taiwan to travel to the United States for Cornell's alumni reunion weekend June 8 through 11.
"It is a happy day in Ithaca," Cornell President Frank H.T. Rhodes told a contingent of Taiwanese press gathered for the announcement at the Statler Hotel.
Lee, who received his Ph.D. in agricultural economics from Cornell in 1968, had been invited to present the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Lecture at reunion. But he had not been expected to be permitted to make the visit. The trip will mark a significant shift by Washington, which has stonewalled since last year on Lee's request to go visit his alma mater.
Rhodes, who has visited Lee in Taiwan three times in the past three years, told the press that details of the trip and Lee's schedule at Cornell have not been worked out. He assured them, however, that a round of golf at Cornell's Robert Trent Jones golf course, where Lee learned the game, most likely would be on the agenda.
"I am delighted at the news that President Clinton has authorized President Lee Teng-hui of the Republic of China on Taiwan to travel to the United States to present the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Lecture at Cornell University's alumni reunion," Rhodes said in a prepared statement. "Cornell has long had personal and institutional ties with President Lee, who received his Ph.D. in agricultural economics here in 1968. His doctoral dissertation was cited by the American Association of Agricultural Economics as the best doctoral dissertation of that year, and his research provided the rationale for investment in agriculture during the early years of Taiwan's economic expansion.
"President Lee has achieved international distinction as both a scholar and a political leader. His leadership as president of the Republic of China on Taiwan has significantly advanced democratization, and has been an inspiration for people in developing nations throughout the world," Rhodes added. "[His] return to Cornell will offer an extraordinary educational opportunity for all members of the campus community. We eagerly await his visit and look forward to his insightful comments."
Until now, U.S. officials have said such a visit would be incompatible with Washington's unofficial relations with Taipei since it severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognized China in 1978. They have said Lee could change planes in the United States, but little more.
Both houses of Congress recently voted almost unanimously to approve a resolution urging that Lee be allowed to make a private visit.
China, which has viewed Taiwan as a renegade province since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, staunchly opposes any official contacts with Taipei. Taiwan has formal diplomatic relations with only 29 countries.
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