Chapter 28: Reassessing Chiang Ching-kuo: The First Constitutionally Elected President of the Republic of China

Chiang Ching-kuo (1910–1988), a native of Fenghua, Zhejiang, was the only son of Chiang Kai-shek. When Chiang Kai-shek moved to Taiwan in 1949, he rebuilt the government and economy, achieving Taiwan’s economic takeoff, but he did not implement political reform or constitutional democratic transformation.

I. After Chiang Kai-shek’s Death: Chiang Ching-kuo Becomes the First Elected President

After Chiang Kai-shek’s death in 1975, the responsibility for political transformation fell on Chiang Ching-kuo’s shoulders. He lifted party bans and press restrictions, enabling Taiwan to truly achieve constitutional governance. With a competitive two-party system, Taiwan became the first genuinely democratic republic in Chinese history since the 1911 Revolution, setting an example for future political transformation in mainland China.

II. Soviet Instructions, Multiple Anti-Chiang Statements, and Denied Requests to Return Home

As a child, Chiang Ching-kuo studied in Shanghai. In 1925, at age 15, he was sent to the Soviet Union to study at Moscow’s Sun Yat-sen University, where he soon joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. In 1927, when the KMT split with the CCP and Chiang Kai-shek launched anti-Communist purges, Chiang Ching-kuo was instructed multiple times to issue statements opposing his father.

Chiang was demoted to Siberia as an ordinary soldier, working as a railway porter, gold miner, and technician at the Ural Heavy Machinery Factory. Following Soviet instructions, he publicly issued statements denouncing Chiang Kai-shek. In autumn 1928, he entered the Red Army Military School in Leningrad. In 1930, his request to return to China was denied. In 1935, he married a Soviet worker, Faina, and in January 1936, under Soviet instruction, issued an open letter condemning his father.

III. Xi’an Incident: Hostage Exchange and Return to China

During the December 1936 Xi’an Incident, Chiang Kai-shek was forced to recognize the CCP as legitimate, and Stalin approved the release of Chiang Ching-kuo to return home. In April 1937, Chiang returned to Shanghai with his wife, who adopted the name Chiang Fang-liang.

Chiang Ching-kuo spent his entire youth, ages 15 to 27, in the Soviet Union, undergoing compulsory Communist education. After returning, he studied in Fenghua, Zhejiang, for two years under his father’s orders, reading Confucius, Mencius, and the family letters of Zeng Guofan, reacquainting himself with traditional Chinese culture. Before leaving the USSR, he bid farewell to Stalin, who gifted him a handgun.

IV. Local Administration and Youth Leadership

In 1938, Chiang Ching-kuo was appointed magistrate of Gan County, Jiangxi, and in 1937 served as commissioner of southern Jiangxi. In 1944, he moved to Chongqing as Director of Education at the Three Principles Youth Corps Academy, participating in Chiang Kai-shek’s campaign to mobilize 100,000 youths for military service, serving as director of the Youth Army Political Department.

V. Meeting Stalin in 1945: More Guns, Outer Mongolia Negotiations, Soviet Impatience

In 1945, Chiang Ching-kuo accompanied Premier T.V. Soong to the Soviet Union for negotiations, resulting in the signing of the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance. Stalin gifted him a finely crafted Soviet submachine gun. When discussing the return of Outer Mongolia, Stalin displayed impatience. After Japan’s defeat, Chiang Ching-kuo was appointed special envoy for foreign affairs of the Northeast Administrative Office. In January 1949, Chiang Kai-shek stepped down; Chiang Ching-kuo accompanied his father to Xikou, Zhejiang, and later moved to Taiwan.

VI. Driving Taiwan’s Ten Major Constructions: Contributing to the Rise of the “Four Little Dragons”

In Taiwan, Chiang Ching-kuo honed his skills in party, government, military, and intelligence affairs over 23 years. In 1972, he became Premier of the Executive Yuan. During his tenure, he promoted the “Ten Major Constructions,” accelerating Taiwan’s economic development. He also implemented ten administrative reforms for greater efficiency and integrity, along with eight social reforms, achieving remarkable results.

Chiang Ching-kuo was known for his closeness to the people, personally visiting rural areas about 200 times per year, earning widespread public praise.

VII. Elected President After Chiang Kai-shek’s Death

After Chiang Kai-shek’s death in 1975, Chiang Ching-kuo was elected president in 1978. He was re-elected in 1984. During his presidency, he completed constitutional transformation, enabled party alternation in power, and made Taiwan a de facto democratic country, achieving historical significance.

VIII. Lifting the Party Ban and Allowing New Parties: Political Democracy

In 1986, Chiang Ching-kuo explicitly stated that no members of the Chiang family would succeed him as president. He allowed the free formation of political parties, paving the way for democratic elections of the president.

Chiang Ching-kuo served as president until his death in office in 1988.