President Chen Shui-bian on July 3 attended the opening of the 27th convocation of the Academia Sinica, and thanked the academicians for helping with Taiwan's academic, technological, cultural, and educational developments.
He especially thanked Dr. Lee Yuan-tseh, president of the Academia Sinica, for his vision and guidance that has led the organization to a new horizon, citing that for the past decade the Academia Sinica has expanded itself from 17 research institutes to 21 research institutes and 6 research centers.
"President Lee demonstrates a sense of historical mission, persistence to ideals and belief, and a kind of self-discipline, which all of us should look up to and treasure," he said.
He also said that in the next two years he will strictly adhere to "self-purification, reform, and the delegation of power" in order to achieve political stability, ethnic harmony, and social solidarity.
After serving 12 years for Taiwan, Dr. Lee will retire from his current position this October, and academician Wong Chi-huey will succeed him as the new president of the Academia Sinica, which was founded in 1928.
The convocation, convening in Nankang, Taipei, started today and will last until July 6.