TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After attending Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) inauguration ceremony Wednesday morning (May 20), People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) said he stands in accordance with Tsai's cross-strait stance and that the island nation cannot surrender its freedom and democracy to China.

Following Tsai's reaffirmation that the Taiwanese will not accept the "one country, two system" formula proposed by Beijing, Soong took to Facebook to share his take on the growing complexity of the relationship between Taiwan and China. He congratulated Tsai on her reelection, while emphasizing that Taiwan must continue to move forward regardless of which political party is in charge.

Soong said he respects the country's democratic system and that the Tsai administration and the Taiwanese public have done an incredible job in containing the spread of the coronavirus. He also expressed hope that the government could lead Taiwan out of the current economic gloom, reported New Talk.

In response to the four words — peace, parity, democracy, and dialogue — that Tsai reiterated during her inaugural address, Soong said he wanted to remind Tsai of the importance of the "four insistences, four securities" principle that should also be followed when dealing with cross-strait matters.

The veteran politician explained that the four insistences refer to insistences on Taiwan's country status, democratic values, self-governance, and the autonomy of the Taiwanese people. As for the four securities, he said the Taiwanese government should ensure its financial security, international security, military security, and the everyday security of its people.

Soong said he believes transnational collaboration will continue as a trend after the pandemic and that the Tsai administration is responsible for creating more opportunities to expose Taiwan to the world. He emphasized that developments in cross-strait relations will determine the fate of the island nation, so the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as well as all of its opposition should treat the matter with caution and seriousness, reported Liberty Times.

James Soong (left) attends presidential inauguration ceremony May 20. (CNA photo)