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Beijing’s ‘Tiger’ diplomat takes decades of China-US negotiation into crucial meeting with Mike Pompeo
- Yang Jiechi’s long experience in Washington includes delicate mediation and close ties to former presidents
- A meeting with the US secretary of state comes as the Sino-US relationship hits a low point over trade, Covid-19 and military manoeuvres
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Starting as an interpreter following leaders around, Yang Jiechi has been through it all – the highs and the lows of 42 years of Sino-US ties – to now represent Beijing in a meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at a point deemed the lowest in the relationship in decades.
When it comes to dealing with China-United States relations in recent years, the 70-year-old has a lot less airtime than China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who jets around the world to set Beijing’s agenda with counterparts, or Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He, China’s top negotiator in its trade war with Washington.
But the spotlight will fall on Yang when he meets Pompeo face to face in Hawaii on Wednesday.
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Yang is often referred to as the most experienced and polished America-hand in the current Chinese government and is a powerful Politburo member, as well as director of the office of the central commission for foreign affairs, core foreign policy advisers to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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The meeting will be the first this year between top-level officials of the two countries to dial down tensions on wide-ranging issues, including trade, the security of Taiwan and the South China Sea, the political status of Hong Kong and responsibilities regarding the spread of coronavirus.
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