Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji passed away on August 12 at the age of 98. He made a threat to Taiwanese voters three days before the 2000 presidential election in Taiwan, which ironically led to the change in ruling party with Chen Shui-bian taking office.
During his tenure as the Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China from 1998 to 2003, Zhu faced a critical moment in 2000 with the presidential election in Taiwan. At that time, tensions between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait persisted amidst the lingering shadow of the 1996 missile crisis.
The 2000 Taiwan presidential election saw the dominant Kuomintang candidate Lien Chan, independent candidate James Soong who had split from the Kuomintang, and the Democratic Progressive Party’s Chen Shui-bian in a closely contested race.
On March 15, 2000, just three days before the election, Zhu Rongji responded to questions at a press conference in Beijing. When a journalist from Singapore’s “Lianhe Zaobao” inquired about the rising momentum of DPP candidate Chen Shui-bian, Zhu stated, “Taiwan’s elections are local affairs of the Taiwanese people, and we (the CCP) do not want to interfere. But we must make it clear that no matter who takes office, Taiwan independence must not be allowed.”
He staunchly asserted that preventing “any form of Taiwan independence” was Beijing’s so-called “bottom line,” and that Beijing “absolutely does not promise to renounce the use of force for unification,” warning that “those who advocate for Taiwan independence will have no good ending.”
Zhu’s remarks were seen as one of the influential statements affecting the Taiwanese election.
Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported on August 12 that Zhu’s threat to Taiwan’s election three days prior caused the stock market to drop nearly 400 points the next day, prompting strong reactions from both the blue and green camps.
During the intense presidential election, with DPP candidate Chen Shui-bian and independent candidate James Soong locked in a close competition, Zhu Rongji’s intimidation aimed to influence the Taiwanese voters’ intentions. Ultimately, Chen Shui-bian narrowly won by less than a 3% vote difference, taking over the presidency from the Kuomintang and marking Taiwan’s first ever change in ruling party.
According to the “Lianhe Zaobao,” Zhu Rongji’s remarks were perceived as a threat to Taiwanese voters, leading some of them to switch their support to Chen Shui-bian, becoming one of the factors that influenced the election that year.
Zhu Rongji’s aforementioned words were regarded as a “failed operation” of Chinese Communist Party intervention in Taiwan’s election. Subsequently, the CCP exercised more caution in its approach and began to moderate its statements regarding Taiwan elections.