nCa Report
Qin Gang has taken over as the 12th foreign minister of China, replacing Wang Yi, who has moved to a larger role as the member of the CCP Politburo.
The foreign office of China gives a very brief introduction of Qin Gang:
The Minister
Qin Gang, male, Han ethnicity. Born in March 1966. University graduate. Member of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Member of the 20th CPC Central Committee. Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The family name of Qin Gang is Qin. In the Chinese custom, it is preferable to address a person by their family name.
Before assuming office as the minister on 30 December 2022, Qin Gang was the ambassador of China to the USA, a position he assumed on 27 July 2021.
Earlier, he was vice minister of foreign affairs of China from September 2018 to July 2021, director of the protocol department of the ministry of foreign affairs from January 2015 to September 2018, director of information department of the ministry of foreign affairs from December 2011 to January 2015.
His alma mater is the University of International Relations where he graduated in law. He is married and has one son.
As the foreign minister, he is the second highest ranked diplomat of China, after the CCP Politbuto member Wang Yi, who was the head of the foreign office for ten years.
In the early years of his career, after graduation from the university, Qin Gang worked as a staff member at the Beijing Service Bureau for Diplomatic Missions. In 1992, he entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as attaché and Third Secretary at the Department of West European Affairs. Later, he worked at the Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom as Secretary and Counselor from 1995 to 2005, and worked at the Foreign Ministry Information Department as the Deputy Director-General and spokesman from 2005 to 2010.
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While serving as the ambassador of China in the USA, the interaction of Qin Gang was not limited to the government officials and the diplomatic circles. He intermingled freely with the people at events of different nature and scope, spoke to the media and expressed his views in a candid manner.
As noted by many, when speaking on anything of importance, he chose among the available synonyms the word that most clearly and firmly explained the position of China. He was resolute without being rigid, frank without being brash. His stance was always based on the principle of equality.
According to AFP:
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who plans a visit in early 2023 to Beijing as tensions ease, “expects to continue a productive working relationship with Foreign Minister Qin in his new role,” a State Department spokesperson said.
“The United States will continue to maintain open lines of communication and responsibly manage the US-PRC relationship,” the spokesperson said, referring to the People’s Republic of China.
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Just a few days before being appointed as the foreign minister, Qin Gang wrote an article for The National Interest, an influential think in the USA.
The article is titled: How China Sees the World
It is a broad-spectrum vision that must be read to get an insight into the foreign policy of China under the stewardship of Qin Gang.
If you are reading this report at our website, please return to the main page and look for the thumbnail to his article.
/// nCa, 5 January 2023