Angie Craig: “On March 17, 1996, Representative and Mrs. Benjamin Lu of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative office in…”

“On March 17, 1996, Representative and Mrs. Benjamin Lu of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative office in Washington, DC, will sponsor the Music for Democracy concert at the Kennedy Center. It will be an occasion to celebrate Taiwan's long journey toward democracy. The late President Chiang Ching-Kuo nurtured the seeds of democracy on Taiwan by lifting the emergency decree, liberalizing personal freedoms and legalizing opposition political parties. After Chiang's death in 1988, President Lee Teng-Hui presided over further economic and political liberalization, vowing to make the Republic of China a nation built on economic opportunity and democracy. Now in 1996, Taiwan is indeed a success story with a strong, growing economy and open democratic elections. Over the last 8 years, the People of the Republic of China have participated in the free election of the National Assembly, three elections of the Legislative Yuan, the election of the Governor of Taipei Province, and mayoral elections in Taipei and Kaohsiung. The most notable in the progression will occur on March 23 of this year, when Taiwan will hold its first free and direct election of the President of the Republic of China. Mr. President, there will be four presidential candidates on the ballot, the incumbent President Lee Teng-Hui being one of the four. This presidential election will answer the old question of whether democracy is possible or appropriate in a Chinese society.”