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China strengthens its US embassy team with ‘soft-spoken’ pragmatist Jing Quan
- The 46-year-old former aide to Beijing’s most senior diplomat will be key aide to Washington envoy Qin Gang
- His experience in US affairs and down-to-earth approach mean Jing’s appointment is seen as a hopeful sign for China-US relations
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Beijing has made another change to the diplomatic line-up handling its relations with the US, sending a former aide to top diplomat Yang Jiechi to help its relatively new ambassador in Washington.
Jing Quan, a former fellow at the Brookings Institution, an American think tank, assumed the third-ranking diplomatic role of minister at the Chinese embassy in the US capital this week.
The 46-year-old will be a key aide to ambassador Qin Gang, who took over the posting in July and is relatively inexperienced in US affairs compared to his predecessor Cui Tiankai, who retired after more than eight years.
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Observers said Jing’s appointment was a sign that Beijing remained hopeful of returning its rapidly worsening ties with the US to the right track, despite their deepening feud.
The move is also part of Beijing’s continuing effort to revamp its foreign policy line-up, in line with its global ambitions, which has included a number of other recent changes to senior diplomatic ranks.
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Jing, who stepped down as deputy head of the foreign ministry’s Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs before heading to Washington, is likely to step into the embassy’s second-ranking role soon, according to sources.
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