He is of Chinese descent,[3][4] and is a founding member of French Polynesia's pro-French Tahoera'a Huiraatira political party.

Tong Sang was the Tahoera'a Huiraatira party's presidential candidate in the election of March 2005, but was defeated by Oscar Temaru by 29 votes to 26.

On 18 January 2007 Tong Sang's new government survived a motion of no confidence brought by the party of former French Polynesian president, Oscar Temaru.

Flosse, a powerful pro-France politician and founder of the Tahoeraa Huiraatira Party, of which Tong Sang is a member, accused Tong Sang of caving in too easily to the demands of some of French Polynesia's minor coalition parties and ignoring the needs of Tahoeraa Huiraatira.

[7] According to reports, the talks were aimed at ousting Tong Sang from office and setting up a unity platform between Flosse and Temaru's respective political parties.

[7] The UPLD said that the no confidence motion against Tong Sang was based on the fact that he had only small support in Parliament and that he had lost his legitimacy to govern.

On 14 September 2007, Temaru was elected as President of French Polynesia for the third time in three years, replacing Tong Sang.