On their way back from Vancouver, both Dr Mahathir and Singapore's prime minister, Goh Chok Tong, found themselves compelled to make short stops in Taipei, where they met Taiwan's prime minister, VincentSiew.
By 1999 when the party needed to decide whom to nominate for president and vice president, Lee quashed Soong's supporters within the party -- a significant faction -- and selected little-known VincentSiew, Taiwan's new premier, to be Lien's running mate.