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The 1996 United States campaign finance controversy was an alleged effort by the People's Republic of China to influence domestic American politics prior to and during the Clinton administration and also involved the fund-raising practices of the administration itself. While questions regarding the U.S. Democratic Party's fund-raising activities first arose over a ''Los Angeles Times'' article published on September 21, 1996,〔Miller, Alan C., ("Democrats Return Illegal Contribution" ), ''Los Angeles Times'', September 21, 1996〕 China's alleged role in the affair first gained public attention when Bob Woodward and Brian Duffy of ''The Washington Post'' published a story stating that a United States Department of Justice investigation into the fund-raising activities had uncovered evidence that agents of China sought to direct contributions from foreign sources to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) before the 1996 presidential campaign. The journalists wrote that intelligence information had shown the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C. was used for coordinating contributions to the DNC〔Woodward, Bob and Duffy, Brian, ("Chinese Embassy Role In Contributions Probed" ), ''Washington Post'', February 13, 1997 〕 in violation of United States law forbidding non-American citizens or non-permanent residents from giving monetary donations to United States politicians and political parties. A Republican investigator of the controversy stated the Chinese plan targeted both presidential and congressional United States elections, while Democratic Senators said the evidence showed the Chinese targeted only congressional elections. The Chinese government denied all accusations. == Background == (詳細はLee Teng-Hui. United States Secretary of State Warren Christopher had previously assured his Chinese counterpart Qian Qichen that granting a visa would be "inconsistent with (United States' ) unofficial relationship (Taiwan )"〔Ross, Robert S.,("The 1995–1996 Taiwan Strait Confrontation: Coercion, Credibility, and Use of Force" ), ''International Security'', 25:2, pp. 87–123, Fall 2000, Retrieved: April 14, 2006 (PDF file)〕 and the Clinton Administration's acquiescence to the Congressional resolutions led China to conclude that the influence of Congress over foreign policy was more significant than it had previously determined. When formulating the so-called plan, Chinese officials acknowledged that, compared to other countries, it had little knowledge of, or influence over, policy decisions made in Congress, which had a sizeable pro-Taiwan faction under the influence of a more established "China Lobby" run by the Kuomintang.〔Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs (1998). "Volume 4 of 6, Minority Views of Senators Glenn, Levin, Lieberman, Akaka, Durbin, Torricelli, and Cleland, Part 1. Foreign Influence, Chapter 2, The China Plan" in ''Investigation of Illegal or Improper Activities in Connection with 1996 Federal Election Campaigns, Final Report'' (Senate Report 105-167, March 10, 1998, 105th Congress, 2d Session), see (), and (), accessed 6 October 2015. Note, this is part of the full citation and an alternate web location of the WikiSource, (), given above.〕 The plan, according to the Senate report, instructed Chinese officials in the U.S. to improve their knowledge about members of Congress and increase contacts with its members, the public, and the media. The plan also suggested ways to lobby United States officials.〔 Over the years, China repeatedly denied that their lobbying efforts involved financial contributions of any kind, e.g., stating "some people and media in the United States speculated… about so-called participation by Chinese individuals in political donations during the U.S. elections. It is sheer fabrication and is intended to slander China. () has never, nor will we ever, use money to influence American politics (a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, May 1998)."〔Pomfret, John, ("China Denies Contribution Charges" ), ''Washington Post'', May 20, 1998〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「1996 United States campaign finance controversy」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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