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{{Short description|Taiwanese political scientist and politician (born 1942)}}
{{family name hatnote|[[Song (Chinese name)|Soong]]|lang=Chinese}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Soong Chu-yu
| native_name         = {{No bold|宋楚瑜}}
| native_name_lang    = zh-hant
| image               = File:宋楚瑜主席2016.jpg
| caption             = Official portrait, 2016
| office1             = 1st [[People First Party (Republic of China)|Chairman of the People First Party]]
| deputy1             = [[Chang Chau-hsiung]]
| term_start1         = 31 March 2000
| term_end1           = 
| predecessor1        = ''Position established''
| successor1          = 
| office2             = [[Senior Advisor|Senior Advisor to the President]]
| 1blankname2         = [[President of Taiwan|President]]
| term_start2         = 9 November 2016
| term_end2           = 2 May 2019
| 1namedata2          = [[Tsai Ing-wen]]
| office3             = 1st [[Taiwan Province|Governor of Taiwan Province]]
{{Infobox officeholder
| embed = yes
|term_start      = 20 December 1994
|term_end        = 20 December 1998
|deputy          = [[Lin Fong-cheng]]<br>[[Lai In-jaw]]
|predecessor     = ''Position established''{{Efn|Himself as Chairman of the Taiwan Provincial Government}}
|successor = ''Position abolished''
| status1 = 14th [[Taiwan Provincial Government|Chairman of the Provincial Government]]
| appointer1 = [[Executive Yuan]]
| term_start1 = 20 March 1993
| term_end1 = 20 December 1994
| primeminister1 = [[Lien Chan]]
| predecessor1 = [[Lien Chan]]
| successor1 = [[Chao Shou-po]]
}}
| office4             = [[Government Information Office|Minister of the Government Information Office]]
| term_start4         = 25 January 1979
| term_end4           = 24 August 1984
| primeminister4      = [[Sun Yun-suan]]
| predecessor4        = [[Ting Mao-shih]]
| successor4          = [[Chang King-yuh]]
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1942|4|30|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Xiangtan]], [[Hunan]], [[Republic of China (1912–49)|Republic of China]]
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| party               = [[People First Party (Republic of China)|People First Party]] (2000–)<br />[[Kuomintang]] (1981–1999)<ref name="faces">{{cite news |last1=Tedards |first1=Bo |title=The many faces of James Soong |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/insight/archives/2000/03/15/0000027929 |access-date=10 July 2015 |work=Taipei Times |date=15 March 2000}}</ref><br />[[Independent politician|Independent]] (1999–2000)
| spouse              = Viola Chen {{small|(1968–2011)}}
| education           = [[National Chengchi University]] ([[LL.B.|LLB]])<br />[[University of California, Berkeley]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]])<br />{{no wrap|[[Catholic University of America]]}} ([[Master of Science|MS]])<br />{{no wrap|[[Georgetown University]] ([[PhD]])}}
| module              = {{infobox Chinese
| child = yes
| embed = yes
| c = {{linktext|lang=zh|宋|楚|瑜}}
| poj = Sòng Chhó-jû
| tl = Sòng Tshó-jû
| p = Sòng Chǔyú
| w = Sung<sup>4</sup> Ch'u<sup>3</sup>-yü<sup>2</sup>
| mi = {{IPAc-cmn|s|ong|4|-|ch|u|3|.|yu|2}}
}}
| branch              = {{flagicon image|Logo of the Republic of China Military Police.svg}} [[Republic of China Military Police|ROC Military Police]]
| serviceyears        = 1964–1966
| rank                = Second Lieutenant
}}

'''Soong Chu-yu''' ({{Lang-zh|c=宋楚瑜|p=Sòng Chǔyú}}; born 30 April 1942), also known by his English name '''James Soong''', is a Taiwanese [[political scientist]] and politician who is the founder and chairman of the [[People First Party (Republic of China)|People First Party]]. Soong was the first and only elected [[Taiwan Provincial Government|governor of Taiwan Province]] from 1994 and 1998, after which he became a [[perennial candidate]] in Taiwanese politics.

Born in China to a [[Kuomintang]] military family, Soong graduated from [[National Chengchi University]] and earned his doctorate from [[Georgetown University]] in political science in 1974. He began his political career as a secretary to Premier [[Chiang Ching-kuo]] and rose to prominence as director-general of the [[Government Information Office]] (GIO) from 1979 to 1984. Upon Chiang's death, Soong was instrumental in silencing conservatives in the KMT from blocking the ascendancy of [[Lee Teng-hui]] as KMT leader. From 1994 to 1998, he was the only elected governor of [[Taiwan Province]].

After failing to gain the KMT nomination, Soong ran as an independent in the [[2000 Taiwanese presidential election|2000 presidential election]]. Though he placed second, his candidacy split the [[Pan-Blue Coalition|pan-Blue]] vote between himself and the KMT candidate, Vice President [[Lien Chan]], leading to the victory of DPP candidate [[Chen Shui-bian]]. In the [[2004 Taiwanese presidential election|2004 presidential election]], he ran as vice president on the ticket of Lien Chan; they narrowly lost to Chen Shui-bian. Soong ran again as a candidate in the [[2012 Taiwanese presidential election|2012 presidential race]], garnering 2.77% of popular support. Soong's [[2016 Taiwanese presidential election|third presidential campaign in 2016]] formed a split ticket with [[Minkuotang]] chairwoman [[Hsu Hsin-ying]] and won 12.84% of the vote. His [[2020 Taiwanese presidential election|2020 campaign]] with running mate Sandra Yu finished last, with 4.2% of the vote.<ref name="2020 election" />

== Early life and education ==
Soong was born in China on April 30, 1942,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shih |first=Hsiu-chuan |date=2006-12-18 |title=NewsMaker: Soong remains a force to be reckoned with |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2006/12/18/2003340907 |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=[[The Taipei Times]]}}</ref> in [[Xiangtan]], [[Hunan]], province.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Xing |first1=Zhigang |last2=Jiao |first2=Xiaoyang |title=Hometown gives Soong a heroic welcome |url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-05/10/content_440523.htm |access-date=16 November 2019 |work=China Daily |date=10 May 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Ni |first1=Yanshuo |title=Increasing Connections |url=http://www.bjreview.com.cn/90th/2011-10/18/content_398889.htm |access-date=16 November 2019 |work=Beijing Review |date=2005}}</ref> His father, {{ill|Soong Ta|zh|宋達}}, was a career military officer under [[Chiang Kai-shek]] who was an enlisted sailor who rose to the rank of [[major general]] in the [[National Revolutionary Army]].<ref name="faces" /> Ta had left Hunan to join the [[Kuomintang]] army at age 14 and was a close aide to Chiang and his son, [[Chiang Ching-kuo]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Bo |first=Tedards |date=2000-03-15 |title=The many faces of James Soong |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/insight/archives/2000/03/15/0000027929 |access-date=2025-03-15 |website=[[The Taipei Times]]}}</ref>

Soong's mother and two younger sisters were [[Protestant Christians]] while his father was a [[Buddhist]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=1980-08-01 |title=Free and responsible religion |url=https://taiwanreview.nat.gov.tw/Culture/Taiwan-Review/25724/Free-and-responsible-religion |access-date=2025-03-15 |website=[[Taiwan Today]] |language=en}}</ref> He was his father's first son and his childhood was largely defined by the [[Chinese Civil War]].<ref name=":1" /> After the [[Kuomintang]] (KMT) defeat in the [[Chinese Civil War]], the family fled to [[Taiwan]] in 1949 during the [[Retreat of the government of the Republic of China to Taiwan|Retreat of the government of the Republic of China]].<ref name="bbcprofile2012">{{cite news |title=Profile: James Soong |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-16482207 |access-date=16 November 2019 |publisher=BBC |date=12 January 2012}}</ref><ref name="bloomberg2019">{{cite news |last1=Ellis |first1=Samson |title=Pro-China Veteran's Taiwan Election Bid Deals Blow to Beijing |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-13/pro-china-veteran-s-taiwan-election-bid-deals-blow-to-beijing |access-date=16 November 2019 |work=Bloomberg |date=12 November 2019}}</ref> Soong then began his early schooling in [[Taipei]], where classmates remembered him as a "taciturn boy who stayed out of most of the usual social activities" and was "buried in his books."<ref name=":1" />

In 1964, Soong graduated first in his class from [[National Chengchi University]] with a [[Bachelor of Laws]] (LL.B.) degree specializing in diplomacy.<ref name=":1" /> He then went to complete graduate studies in the United States, where he earned a [[Master of Arts]] (M.A.) in [[political science]] from the [[University of California, Berkeley]], in 1967, then a [[Master of Science]] (M.S.) in [[library and information science]] from the [[Catholic University of America]] in 1971. He remained in [[Washington, D.C.]], to study for his doctorate and earned his [[Ph.D.]] in political science from [[Georgetown University]] in 1974.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=October 2017 |title=James Chu-Yul Soong: Resume |url=https://www.roc-taiwan.org/uploads/sites/100/2017/10/Dr.-James-C.Y.-Soongs-resume.pdf |access-date=February 14, 2025 |publisher=[[Executive Yuan]]}}</ref> His doctoral dissertation was titled, "An Elite Perspective On Developmental Crisis: China's Experiences in Inner Mongolia."<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Soong |first=James Chu-yul |title=An elite perspective on developmental crisis: China's experiences in Inner Mongolia |date=1974 |degree=PhD |publisher=[[Stanford University Libraries]] |url=https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/980997}}</ref> During his time studying in the U.S., Soong acquired "a near-perfect command of English."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Yu |first=Miles |date=July 2, 2015 |title=Inside China: James Soong shakes up Taiwan presidential election again |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/2/inside-china-james-soong-shakes-up-taiwan-presiden/ |access-date=16 March 2025 |work=[[The Washington Times]]}}</ref>

== Early career==
As he was finishing his doctoral studies, [[Government Information Office]] (GIO) Director [[Fredrick Chien]] recommended Soong to be the English secretary of then-premier Chiang Ching-kuo. Soong served as secretary to the premier from 1974 to 1977 and with Chiang Ching-kuo's accession to the presidency, the personal secretary to the president from 1978 to 1981 and 1984 to 1989. Soong gained his public fame on December 16, 1978, when he addressed the nation following the decision of the administration of U.S. president [[Jimmy Carter]] to break ties with the ROC in order to switch ties to the [[China|People's Republic of China.]]

Soon afterwards, President Chiang promoted Soong to become the youngest director-general of the GIO, in which he served from 1979 to 1984.

===Rise of Lee Teng-hui===
Upon Chiang Ching-kuo's death in 1988, Soong was seen as instrumental in consolidating the power of the new president, [[Lee Teng-hui]]. Soong was part of the Palace Faction ({{lang-zh|labels=no|t=宮廷派}}) that included Chiang loyalists such as [[Hau Pei-tsun]] and [[Lee Huan]] and which sought to limit Lee Teng-hui and his native Taiwanese faction's role in the government. During the [[Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Kuomintang|KMT's central standing committee]] on the day of Chiang's funeral, when the Palace Faction sought to delay Lee's accession to the party chairmanship, Soong unexpectedly made an impassioned plea in favour of Lee, declaring that "Each day of delay is a day of disrespect to Ching-kuo." He also made a veiled criticism of [[Soong Mei-ling]] (no relation), implying that she had returned to Taiwan after her stepson's death to try to reassume power.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}

Soong established himself as one of the few mainlanders who were also loyal to Lee. In support of Soong, Lee coined the term "New Taiwanese" to describe a person born in mainland China, raised in Taiwan, who calls Taiwan home. Lee moved swiftly to promote Soong to KMT Secretary-General, a position Soong held from 1989 to 1993. In 1993, Lee appointed him Governor of [[Taiwan Province]].{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}

In June 1993, Soong opened a Credit Suisse account, three months after he had stepped down as KMT secretary-general, and it closed in 2010. In 2007 he held over 13 million Swiss francs in it, which is incompatible by his official salary as a public servant.<ref name="lemonde">{{Cite news |last=OCCRP and LeMonde |date=2022-02-21 |title=Leading Taiwan Politician Had Secret Credit Suisse Account At Time Of Major Defense Corruption Scandal |language=en |url=https://www.occrp.org/en/suisse-secrets/leading-taiwan-politician-had-secret-credit-suisse-account-at-time-of-major-defense-corruption-scandal |access-date=2022-02-23}}</ref> The account is one of a number of things which have led to implications of his involvement in the [[Taiwan frigate scandal]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gibson |first1=Liam |title=Taiwan's People First Party defend founder Soong, rebuke corruption allegations |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4455184 |website=taiwannews.com.tw |date=25 February 2022 |publisher=Taiwan News |access-date=27 February 2022}}</ref>

== Governor of Taiwan (1994–98) ==
In 1994 Soong was elected and became the only directly elected [[governor of Taiwan Province]]. He was widely perceived to be an excellent campaigner and his excellent showing in the governorship ended hopes by the DPP of a "[[Boris Yeltsin|Yeltsin]] effect", by which an elected governor would have more legitimacy than the national government, due to the president being still elected by the National Assembly at that time.

Despite his ''[[Waishengren]]'' background, Soong proved to be a popular politician among all ethnic groups on Taiwan, in part because he was one of the first [[Kuomintang|KMT]] politicians to attempt to speak in [[Taiwanese Hokkien]] in political and formal occasions.

After Premier [[Lien Chan]] was [[1996 Taiwanese presidential election|elected vice-president in 1996]], the premiership was vacated in 1997 after the Judicial Yuan ruled out that the person could not serve both vice-president and premier. Soong felt that as Governor of Taiwan, he was the natural successor to Lien, but President Lee believed that Soong should serve out his term. President Lee appointed [[Vincent Siew]], whom Soong considered a subordinate, and this act led to the split between Soong and Lee.

The position of Governor of Taiwan was eliminated in December 1998 following a [[National Development Council (Taiwan)|National Development Council]] meeting in 1996, when it suggested that the administrative structure of the Taiwanese government be streamlined. Soong and his supporters believe this to have been a political move by President Lee to cut off Soong's power base, but proponents of the downsizing called it a pragmatic move to eliminate administrative redundancies. Soong tendered his resignation on December 31 of the same year, but President Lee did not accept it.

== Perennial candidate (2000–present) ==

===2000 presidential election===
After losing the KMT presidential nomination to then-vice president Lien Chan, Soong ran as an independent in the [[2000 Taiwanese presidential election|2000 presidential election]]. Soong advocated a gradual union between Taiwan and the mainland by first signing a [[non-aggression pact]] followed by the formation of a cross-strait union similar to the [[European Union]]. His platform called for the characterization of relations between the mainland and Taiwan as neither foreign nor domestic. Although widely seen as the candidate most friendly to mainland China, Soong took particular effort to counter the perception that he would "sell out" Taiwan.

The KMT responded by expelling Soong and his supporters from the party.<ref name="ap-expel-soong">{{cite news |last1=Foreman |first1=William |title=Party Expels Taiwan Front-Runner |url=https://apnews.com/article/dd61ea3661eb7d9b89582c6c8070b9e0 |access-date=21 May 2022 |work=AP News |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |date=16 November 1999}}</ref> In the final months leading to the 2000 elections, the KMT, then under [[Lee Teng-hui]]'s leadership, sued Soong for theft, alleging that as party secretary-general, he stole millions of Taiwan dollars in cash<ref name="tt-soong-lawsuit-1">{{cite news |last1=Chen |first1=Lauren |title=KMT files lawsuit against Soong |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2000/02/17/0000024433 |access-date=21 May 2022 |work=[[Taipei Times]] |date=17 February 2000}}</ref> intended for the family of the late president [[Chiang Ching-kuo]] and hid the money in the Chunghsing Bills Finance Company.<ref name="tt-soong-chung-hsing">{{cite news |title=Lee interview rekindles Chung Hsing scandal |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2003/04/09/201372 |access-date=21 May 2022 |work=[[Taipei Times]] |date=9 April 2003}}</ref><ref name="nbm-soong">{{cite news |last1=Hioe |first1=Brian |title=James Soong Comes Under Scrutiny in Relation to Corrupt Frigate Deal |url=https://newbloommag.net/2022/02/25/soong-frigate-deal/ |access-date=21 May 2022 |work=New Bloom Magazine |date=25 February 2022}}</ref> In defense he stated that the money in those bank accounts was in fact all from the KMT, and he insisted that the money transfer was authorized by then-KMT chairman Lee Teng-hui.<ref name="tt-soong-lawsuit-1" /><ref name="tt-soong-chung-hsing" /> These statements have been substantiated by an internal KMT memo signed by Lee which were published by the court many years later.

The scandal hurt Soong's clean image. Initially leading in the polls,<ref name="ap-expel-soong" /> Soong narrowly lost the election with 36.84% of the vote to [[Chen Shui-bian]] of the [[Democratic Progressive Party]] with 39.3%. Lien came in a distant third with only 23.1%.

After losing the election, Soong's supporters protested in front of the KMT party headquarters and blockaded the building for a few days. They succeeded in pressuring Lee Teng-hui to resign as KMT chairman in favor of Lien Chan. Within weeks, Soong and his supporters formed the [[People First Party (Taiwan)|People First Party]] (PFP), considered a spin-off from the KMT.

Prosecutors later dropped all charges against Soong in the Chunghsing scandal. In 2003, the investigation was reopened, with former president Lee (now expelled from the KMT and the "spiritual leader" of the pro-independence [[Taiwan Solidarity Union]]) testifying against Soong in court. However, with the KMT allied with the PFP for the 2004 presidential election, the KMT aided Soong in his defence, providing documents signed by Lee. KMT chairman Lien Chan claimed the KMT was misled into filing the lawsuit against Soong.

=== 2004 presidential election ===
Despite the personal rivalries between Lien, the KMT chairman after 2000, and Soong, the KMT and People First Party pledged to cooperate in future elections to prevent splitting the vote. Though losses in the [[2001 Taiwanese legislative election|2001 legislative election]] made the DPP the largest single party in the [[Legislative Yuan]], the [[pan-Blue Coalition]] retained a narrow majority over the [[pan-Green Coalition]].

Soong ran as a vice presidential candidate under Lien Chan in the [[2004 Taiwanese presidential election|2004 election]].<ref name="elec_2004">{{cite journal |last1=Simon |first1=Scott |last2=Wang |first2=Fu-cheng |last3=Wong |first3=Joseph |last4=Laliberté |first4=André |last5=Henderson |first5=Robert D'A. |title=Domestic and International Considerations of Taiwan's 2004 Presidential Election: An Interdisciplinary Roundtable |journal=Pacific Affairs |date=2004 |volume=77 |issue=4 |pages=683–713 |jstor=40023538 }}</ref>{{rp|pages=691, 693–694}} Some believe that the PFP's lack of experienced candidates in the December 2002 mayoral elections in [[Taipei]] and [[Kaohsiung]] (the PFP supported the KMT's candidates), and the PFP's poor performance the city council elections in those cities at the same time were major setbacks to Soong's chances of being the KMT-PFP candidate for president. There were widespread rumours that Soong agreed to take the vice-presidential post in exchange for a pledge by Lien to give him significant power, including the premiership. Many KMT members opposed the linkage, considering Soong an opportunist and traitor. Soong's supporters pointed out that he was more popular than Lien, as consistently demonstrated by polls and the results of the 2000 presidential elections. Though both men garnered a combined 60% of the vote in 2000 (compared to Chen's 39%), they lost to Chen in 2004 by a mere 0.22% of the vote and never conceded.

=== 2005 ===
After the 2004 presidential election, Soong actively sought the merger of the KMT and People First Party. However, he ceased doing so after the [[2004 Taiwanese legislative election|2004 legislative election]]. Although the pan-blue coalition did well, the PFP did not, and Soong ended talk of a KMT-PFP merger. In February 2005, he signed a 10-point consensus program with President Chen Shui-bian, which brought heavy criticism to Chen. The possibility of DPP-PFP cooperation ended in May 2005, when Soong visited [[mainland China]] to meet with [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party|General Secretary]] [[Hu Jintao]] of the [[Chinese Communist Party]]. Initially, Chen stated that Soong would deliver a secret message to the PRC leadership, but Soong denied this.

In the 2005 KMT chairmanship election, Soong, who retained a significant following within the KMT, despite initially instructing party officials not to support either [[Ma Ying-jeou]] or [[Wang Jin-pyng]], endorsed Wang at the last minute. However, the endorsement appeared to backfire as Ma defeated Wang by a large margin of 72% to 28%. On July 22, 2005, Soong, unopposed, was re-elected chairman of the PFP.

=== 2006 Taipei mayoral election===
On October 18, 2006, Soong formally announced and registered his candidacy for the mayoralty of [[Taipei City]], Taiwan's capital and largest city, in the local government elections to be held in December 2006.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mo|first1=Yan-chih|title=Soong declares candidacy for mayor|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2006/10/18/2003332217|access-date=11 June 2016|work=Taipei Times|date=18 October 2006}}</ref> Soong registered as a "non-partisan" candidate without a party affiliation, declaring that he had taken a leave of absence from his post as chairman of the PFP.

After his defeat in the [[2005–06 Taiwanese local elections|Taipei mayoral election on 9 December 2006]], in which he won only 4% of cast ballots, James Soong announced that he would retire from politics, which entailed giving up the chairmanship of his party, the PFP. With this announcement and no clear goal, the PFP face an uncertain future, which could speed up any merger with the Kuomintang.

=== 2012 presidential election===
After a petition, Soong, for the first time as a People First Party presidential candidate, ran the [[2012 Taiwanese presidential election|2012 presidential election]] together with [[Lin Ruey-shiung]], a [[National Taiwan University]] professor in public health.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2012 ELECTIONS: Soong signs up for presidential race |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2011/11/25/2003519154 |website=Taipei Times|date=25 November 2011 }}</ref> Soong described the "[[Pan-Blue coalition|Blue]]-Green rivalry" in [[Politics of Taiwan|Taiwanese politics]] as an epidemic and stated that Lin, as a doctor, was his partner to cure this "disease". He contended that Taiwanese people wanted a third party other than the KMT and the DPP and that the PFP was their choice.

===2016 presidential election ===
Soong announced his intention to join the [[2016 Taiwanese presidential election|2016 presidential election]] on 6 August 2015 with running mate [[Hsu Hsin-ying]] of the [[Minkuotang]].<ref>[http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201508060004.aspx Focus Taiwan: James Soong announces presidential bid]</ref> The Soong–Hsu ticket finished third, with 12.8% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/people-first-party-s/2031974.html |title=People First Party's James Soong to join Taiwan presidential race - Channel NewsAsia |website=www.channelnewsasia.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910113740/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/people-first-party-s/2031974.html |archive-date=2015-09-10}}</ref>

=== 2020 presidential election ===
Soong contested the [[2020 Taiwanese presidential election|2020 presidential election]], beginning his campaign on 13 November 2019.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wang |first1=Cheng-chung |last2=Huang |first2=Frances |title=James Soong announces presidential bid (update) |url=http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201911130013.aspx |access-date=13 November 2019 |agency=Central News Agency |date=13 November 2019}}</ref> He had promised that this campaign would be his last attempt for the presidency.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2020/01/james-soong-the-end-of-an-authoritarian-era-in-taiwan/|title = James Soong: The End of an (Authoritarian) Era in Taiwan  | publisher=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]] | author=James Baron | date=January 15, 2020 | access-date=December 21, 2023}}</ref> Soong and Sandra Yu formed the People First Party ticket.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chen |first1=Yun |last2=Hsiao |first2=Sherry |title=James Soong joins presidential race |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2019/11/14/2003725803 |access-date=17 November 2019 |work=Taipei Times |date=14 November 2019}}</ref> The pair registered their candidacy with the [[Central Election Commission (Taiwan)|Central Election Commission]] on 18 November 2019.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shan |first1=Shelley |title=2020 Elections: PFP's Soong registers for election |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/11/19/2003726119 |access-date=19 November 2019 |work=Taipei Times |date=19 November 2019}}</ref> Soong and Yu finished third in the presidential election, with 4.2% of the vote.<ref name="2020 election">{{cite news |last1=Maxon |first1=Ann |title=2020 Elections: Han Kuo-yu concedes race as KMT leadership resigns |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2020/01/12/2003729110 |access-date=12 January 2020 |work=Taipei Times |date=12 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Yang |first1=Chun-hui |last2=Shih |first2=Hsiao-kuang |last3=Lin |first3=Liang-sheng |title=2020 Elections: Tsai wins by a landslide |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2020/01/12/2003729107 |access-date=12 January 2020 |work=Taipei Times |date=12 January 2020}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
As a graduate student at Berkeley, Soong met his wife, Viola Chen ({{lang-zh|labels=no|t=陳萬水}}), with whom he had a son and a daughter.<ref name=":1" />

=== Awards and honors ===
Soong has been awarded multiple [[honorary degrees]], including honorary doctorates by the [[Catholic University of America]], the [[University of South Australia]], the [[University of Maryland, College Park|University of Maryland]], and [[Sookmyung Women's University]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Tsai |first=Ing-wen |date=2017 |title=Dr. James C.Y. Soong: Leader's Representative of President Tsai Ing-wen to the 25th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting |url=https://roc-taiwan.org/uploads/sites/100/2017/10/President-Tsais-speech.pdf |access-date=16 March 2025 |publisher=[[Executive Yuan]]}}</ref> He has also received multiple [[national decoration]]s, including the [[Order of Good Hope]] (Grand Cross) in 1980 and the [[Order of Diplomatic Service Merit]] (Kwanghwa Medal) in 1982. He was awarded an [[Eisenhower Fellowships|Eisenhower Fellowship]] in the U.S. in 1982 and he was named an Ellsworth Bunker Distinguished Fellow in 1999 by the [[Asia Foundation]].<ref name=":2" />

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{commons category|James Soong}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[Lien Chan]]|as=Chairman of the [[Taiwan Provincial Government]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Governor of Taiwan Province]]|years=1993–1998}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Chao Shou-po]]|as=Chairman of the Taiwan Provincial Government}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Ting Mao-shih]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Head of the [[Government Information Office]]|years=1979–1984}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Chang King-yuh]]}}
|-
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-new|office}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chairman of the [[People First Party (Republic of China)|People First party]]|years=2000–present}}
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{{2000 presidential election candidates, Republic of China}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Soong, James}}
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:Catholic University of America alumni]]
[[Category:Chairpersons of the Taiwan Provincial Government]]
[[Category:Georgetown University Law Center alumni]]
[[Category:Independent presidential candidates of Taiwan]]
[[Category:Kuomintang politicians in Taiwan]]
[[Category:Leaders of political parties in Taiwan]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:National Chengchi University alumni]]
[[Category:People First Party (Taiwan) presidential nominees]]
[[Category:Politicians from Xiangtan]]
[[Category:Republic of China politicians from Hunan]]
[[Category:UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni]]
[[Category:Expelled members of the Kuomintang]]
[[Category:Refugees of the Chinese Civil War]]
[[Category:Taiwanese people from Hunan]]
[[Category:Senior advisors to President Tsai Ing-wen]]
[[Category:Taiwanese political party founders]]