US-China relations: could funeral of Taiwan’s former leader Lee Teng-hui spark more tension?

With relations between Washington and Taipei on a high, academic says she will be surprised if US does not send at least a middleweight official to mark president’s passing

But Beijing is unlikely to remain silent if any nation chooses to formally acknowledge the event

Reading Time:3 minutes

A public memorial to Taiwan’s late leader Lee Teng-hui has been set up at the Taipei Guest House. Photo: Reuters

Published: 6:00pm, 9 Aug 2020Updated: 1:07am, 10 Aug 2020

A memorial to Taiwan’s former president Lee Teng-hui, who died at the end of last month, has been visited by several foreign officials in recent days, but whether any nations dare risk the wrath of Beijing by sending a delegate to the late leader’s funeral is the question on every analyst’s lips.

Floral displays and a giant photograph of Lee, who died on July 30 at the age of 97, form the public memorial, which has been set up at the government-owned Taipei Guest House in the heart of the Taiwanese capital.

Since opening, it has been visited by representatives of the Australian Office, British Office and the Manila Economic and Cultural Office, all of which serve as de facto embassies in Taiwan. The self-ruled island has just 15 formal diplomatic allies, one of which is the Vatican.

Although the date of Lee’s state funeral has yet to be announced, observers are already speculating as to who might attend, and the spotlight is very much on the United States.

With relations between Washington and Beijing at their lowest point for decades, June Teufel Dreyer, a professor of political science at the University of Miami, said she would be surprised if the US was not represented at Lee’s funeral.