Soong Tse-vung, more commonly romanized as Soong Tse-ven or Soong Tzu-wen (Chinese: 宋子文; pinyin: Sòng Zǐwén; 4 December 1894 – 25 April 1971), was a Chinese businessman, banker, and politician who served as Premier of the Republic of China between 1945 and 1947.
He founded the China Development Finance Corporation (CDFC) in 1934, along with other prominent financial figures, such as Chang Kia-ngau, Chen Guangpu and H.H. Kung. CDFC provided China's chief access to foreign investment for the next decade. Many CDFC financial packages benefitted companies that were related to Soong or his family members.[7]: 42
In the summer of 1940, Chiang appointed Soong to Washington, D.C., as his personal representative. His task was to win support for China's war with Japan. Soong successfully negotiated substantial loans for this purpose. After Pearl Harbor, Chiang appointed Soong Minister of Foreign Affairs, though Soong remained in Washington to manage the alliance with both the U.S. and the U.K.
During his tenure as Finance Minister, he managed to balance China's budget, which was no small accomplishment. He resigned in 1933, displeased with Chiang Kai-shek's appeasement of Japan and attempts to placate Japanese aggression.[8] He later returned to service as Minister of Foreign Affairs (1942–1945), and as President of the Executive Yuan (1945–1947). Soong left his legacy as head of the Chinese delegation to the United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco, April 1945, which later became the United Nations.
During the German invasion of Russia, Soong was in charge of negotiating with the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin regarding Soviet interests in China, and travelled to Moscow to extract from Stalin a guarantee to oppose the Chinese Communist Party. Soong conceded to Stalin the Manchurian railways and Korean independence but refused to allow Soviet interference in Xinjiang or military bases in Manchuria. He also indicated that China and the Soviet Union could share dominion over Mongolia if a "mutual assistance pact" was agreed to.[9] Soong was known for his tough negotiating style with Stalin in getting straight to the point and freely using the threat of American military backing to strengthen his demands. When the Sino-Soviet treaty was signed, China ceded to the Soviets parts of Mongolia, the use of a naval base at Port Arthur (with civilian rule remaining Chinese), and co-ownership of the Chinese Eastern Railway in Manchuria.[10]: 1
In return, Soong extracted from Stalin recognition of the Republic of China as the legitimate regime of China, aid from the Soviets, and an oral agreement to an eventual Soviet withdrawal from Manchuria.[10]: 2 The treaty failed to end tension in China with the communists, which resulted in renewed fighting after Chinese communist revolution.[11] Stalin had previously told the Americans that Franklin Roosevelt should inform Chiang Kai-shek of the Russian demands in Manchuria, at the Yalta Conference, before Stalin informed Soong.[12]
Criticism of Soong increased as the Nationalist government's financial crisis increased during January and early February 1947.[7]: 138 Rival Nationalist individuals and factions which criticized him included those associated with Sun Ke, Zhang Qun, CC Clique, and the Gexin movement.[7]: 138 The Gexin movement criticized Soong for what the group described as his bureaucratic capitalism, a phrase likely adopted from the communists' criticisms of Soong.[7]: 138–139 The Gexin movement influenced many newspaper's criticisms of Soong.[7]: 138–139 Its criticisms of Soong were also echoed in the Legislative Yuan.[7]: 138
On March 1, 1947, Soong resigned as president of the Executive Yuan.[7]: 140 Nonetheless, Soong was active in the Nationalist government's financial policy until he moved to the United States in January 1949.[7]: 43 Soong moved to New York and remained an influential member of the China Lobby.[14]: 317
Death
On 25 April 1971, Soong choked to death in San Francisco at a dinner party hosted by the chairman of the San Francisco branch of the Bank of Canton, when a piece of chicken lodged in his windpipe.[15] Soong was survived by his widow, Lo-Yi Chang [zh] (張樂怡; Chang¹ Lê⁴-I²; Zhāng Lèyí), who had taken on the English name of Laura Chang Soong.
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