James Soong

James Chu-yu Soong (宋楚瑜 Wade-Giles: Sung Ch'u-yü; pinyin: Sòng Chǔyú; born March 16, 1942) is a politician in the Republic of China on Taiwan. He founded and chairs the People First Party, which favors eventual Chinese reunification.

Rise to power

As he was finishing his doctoral studies, he was recommended by Government Information Office (GIO) Director Frederick Chien to be then-Premier Chiang Ching-kuo English secretary. Soong served as Secretary to Premier from 1974-1977 and with Chiang Ching-kuo's accession to the presidency, the Personal Secretary to the President from 1978-1981 and 1984-1989. Soong gained his public fame when he addressed the nation following the Carter administration's decision to break ties with the ROC in order to switch diplomatic ties to the People's Republic of China on December 16, 1978 in which he gave a patriotic condemnation of the American position and a ringing defense of the ROC.

Related Topics:
Government Information Office - Frederick Chien - Chiang Ching-kuo - Premier - 1974 - 1977 - 1978 - 1981 - 1984 - 1989 - Carter - People's Republic of China - December 16

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Soon afterwards, President Chiang promoted Soong to become the youngest Director-General of the Government Information Office, which he served until from 1979 to 1984. He was accused by his critics of aggressive censorship, including excessive use of libel laws and prison sentences to silence critics, and involvement in the suppression of the Kaohsiung Incident, during which he called Shih Ming-teh the "king of pirates." Soong received widespread disapproval in 1981 for revoking the press licence of Tina Chou of the Associated Press for her violation of the GIO's orders to refrain from publishing autopsy results of Professor Chen Wen-cheng, who died at the National Taiwan University campus under mysterious circumstances and was suspected to have been murdered by government agents. Soong's supporters point out that, despite this record, it was under Soong (later as governor) that censorship was greatly relaxed as were limits on the use of Taiwanese in the electronic media.

Related Topics:
Government Information Office - 1979 - 1984 - Kaohsiung Incident - Shih Ming-teh - Tina Chou - Associated Press - Chen Wen-cheng - National Taiwan University

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