On July 9, 1999, ROC president Lee Teng-hui states that the cross-Strait relationship should be viewed as a "special state-to-state relationship," during an interview with German Deutsche Welle radio. On August 29, a resolution passed in the Legislative Yuan classifies the cross-Strait relationship as "state-to-state." Lee defends his statement saying that it was based on "historical, legal, and practical viewpoints," and that Taiwan's "mainland policy remains unchanged."