Former FAPA president, advocate of U.S.-Taiwan ties, dies aged 82

Washington, Feb. 20 (CNA) C.T. Lee (李青泰), a staunch advocate for U.S.-Taiwan relations and former national president of the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA), passed away peacefully on Jan. 9, 2025, at the age of 82, the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Taiwanese organization said Thursday.

Lee, a Taiwanese-American medical doctor, served as FAPA's national president from 2006 to 2007, "working to reinforce U.S. support for Taiwan and actively promoting the normalization of U.S.-Taiwan relations," the organization, which promotes cooperation between Taiwan and the United States, said in a statement.

FAPA expressed "deep regret" that Lee could not live to see their shared dream -- Taiwan gaining universal international recognition and becoming a fully independent and normal country -- being fulfilled.

However, "he would be heartened to know that we will carry his torch forward and continue the fight," FAPA stated.

According to FAPA, during Lee's stint as FAPA's national president, he "championed Taiwanese people's rights to self-determination."

In a 2007 interview, he highlighted FAPA's key objective as "normalizing U.S.-Taiwan relations by lifting all restrictions on high-level visits, advocating for Taiwan's membership in international organizations such as the United Nations (UN) and the Word Health Organization (WHO), and countering China's unfounded claims of sovereignty over Taiwan." 

Lee was active as a FAPA member for decades before taking the role of FAPA president, tirelessly engaging with Cincinnati-area members of Congress and advocating for the causes of "Taiwan Independence" and "Keeping Taiwan Free," FAPA said.

He garnered the support of legislators including then-Senator Rob Portman, Congressman Steve Stivers, and Congressman Steve Chabot, it said.

Early in 1994, Lee reached out to Chabot, now one of "Taiwan's strongest supporters in the House," a move "shaping U.S.-Taiwan relations through numerous legislative initiatives over the next three decades," FAPA said.

Chabot and then-Senator Marco Rubio, now U.S. secretary of state, introduced the Taiwan Travel Act, which was signed into law in March 2018.

The act facilitates high-level visits between U.S. and Taiwanese officials, strengthens bilateral ties, and is seen by FAPA as an historic achievement, opening the way to "numerous Congressional initiatives and actions in support of Taiwan."

The pair also introduced a resolution reaffirming the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act and the 1982 Six Assurances as cornerstones of U.S.-Taiwan relations, which was passed in 2016 and reinforced the United State's commitment to Taiwan, FAPA said.

FAPA, founded in 1982, is one of the oldest grassroots advocacy organizations for Taiwan in the U.S., according to its official website.