Taipei, Aug. 18 (CNA) President Lee Teng-hui met with visiting US congressman John Cooksey on Wednesday.
Lee explained his "special state-to-state relations" theory to the Louisiana Republican representative, stressing ROC's sovereignty in terms of history and law.
Lee, who was an agro-economist before entering into politics, also exchanged views on agriculture development with Cooksey who is also interested in the field.
Cooksey praised the development of Taiwan's intensive farming and said he was impressed by the island's automated irrigation system.
The US representative was surprised when President Lee told him that hard-working Taiwan farmers manage to harvest grain four times a year from the island's limited arable fields.
Lee attributed the island's agricultural achievement to the government's land reform program implemented between 1949-1953. That program distributed land to peasants, boosting their willingness to work in agriculture.
Lee told Cooksey that land reform has led to farmers working 280 days a year with agricultural production increasing annually.