A cable released by WikiLeaks suggests that Evergreen Marine Corp distanced itself from former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) because of pressure from China.

Chen’s relationship with the company dates back to his time as a legal consultant for Evergreen on several cases. The company’s founder, Chang Yung-fa (張榮發), supported Chen when he ran for president in 2000 and Chang was later named as one of the Presidential Office’s unpaid presidential advisers.

The cable, dated Jan. 1, 2006, was sent from the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and said that Chang’s eventual shift of his support to the pan-blue camp might have been caused by the Chen administration’s failure to establish direct cross-strait shipping links.