前中國國務院總理朱鎔基於2000年3月15日在全國兩會總理記者會上，就台灣總統大選發表強硬言論[1]。他直言「不管誰上台，絕對不能搞台灣獨立」、「誰要是搞台灣獨立，你就沒有好下場」[1]，並稱此為「我們的底線」和「12億中國人民的心聲」，強調絕不承諾放棄使用武力統一[1]。
這番言論隨即引發市場反應，台股盤中大跌近400點[1]，同時激發藍綠陣營強烈反彈[1]。然而，民進黨候選人陳水扁最終以不到3個百分點的得票率優勢勝選[1]，實現了台灣首次政黨輪替[1]。此言論後被視為中共意圖影響台灣選舉的「失敗操作」[1]。
Former Premier of China's State Council Zhu Rongji issued stark warnings regarding Taiwan's presidential election during a press conference at China's National People's Congress on March 15, 2000 [1]. "No matter who takes office, Taiwan independence is absolutely not permitted," Zhu stated, adding that "whoever attempts to push Taiwan independence will have no good outcome" [1]. He further emphasized that China would never renounce the use of force for reunification, characterizing these positions as "our bottom line" and "the voice of 1.2 billion Chinese people" [1].
The rhetoric triggered an immediate market reaction, with Taiwan's stock index falling nearly 400 points the following day [1]. Despite the apparent pressure and strong backlash from both pro-unification and pro-independence camps, the intervention ultimately proved ineffective [1]. Democratic Progressive Party candidate Chen Shui-bian won the election by a narrow margin of less than 3 percentage points, achieving Taiwan's first democratic transfer of power [1]. The episode was subsequently regarded as a failed attempt by the Chinese Communist Party to influence Taiwan's electoral outcome [1].