Chen promises peace in the Taiwan Strait

In his policy speech Chen said that his two major opponents who "came from the KMT camp" -- referring to the KMT's Lien Chan (連戰) and independent candidate James Soong (宋楚瑜) -- should be held partly responsible for the present government's "rotten" state sustained by "black gold" -- gangster involvement in politics, money politics, and corruption.

Chen questioned Lien and Soong's ability to bring about reform.

"I am not sure if these presidential candidates will be equipped with enough determination to introduce reform measures, with the hope of eradicating `black gold' political problems," he said.