In March 2000, just before the poll, Sinorama interviewed all the major candidates to ask about their policies and their vision for governing the nation. We aimed to provide unbiased reporting and bear witness to this potential turning point in Taiwan’s political history. In April 2000 we reported the election outcome, and waited with high expectations for what the new administration would do.
During the campaign, one of the main points of debate among the candidates was cross-strait policy. Responding to fears that the DPP might spark a cross-strait crisis by declaring de jure independence for Taiwan, Chen announced that “the great majority of people in Taiwan share a consensus about the status quo of [de facto] independence.” Aiming to start off with a gesture of goodwill, he also announced after his election that he welcomed visits to Taiwan by high-ranking officials from mainland China, and was willing to visit the other side of the Taiwan Strait. We were there as politics in Taiwan advanced to a new phase of greater democratic maturity at the start of the new millennium.
The 2000 presidential election in Taiwan, a boisterous and contentious race, was won by Chen Shui-bian, candidate of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, and his running mate Annette Lu, marking the historic first-ever peaceful transfer of power in Taiwan.
The 2000 presidential election in Taiwan, a boisterous and contentious race, was won by Chen Shui-bian, candidate of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, and his running mate Annette Lu, marking the historic first-ever peaceful transfer of power in Taiwan.
The 2000 presidential election in Taiwan, a boisterous and contentious race, was won by Chen Shui-bian, candidate of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, and his running mate Annette Lu, marking the historic first-ever peaceful transfer of power in Taiwan.