China names ambassador to US Qin Gang as new foreign minister
- The 56-year-old will replace Wang Yi, who will remain state councillor in charge of diplomacy, according to CCTV
- Qin, seen as one of the ministry’s toughest voices, was sent to Washington last year during a difficult time in relations
China has named Qin Gang – currently its ambassador to the US – as the country’s new foreign minister, according to state media.
Qin, 56, will lead the foreign ministry, replacing 69-year-old Wang Yi, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Friday. It said Wang would remain state councillor in charge of diplomacy.
Wang was promoted to the 24-member Politburo and is expected to replace 74-year-old Yang Jiechi as President Xi Jinping’s top foreign policy aide.
Qin is known as one of the toughest voices within the foreign ministry, and he was sent to the United States as ambassador in July 2021 during a difficult time in US-China relations.
President Joe Biden’s administration has maintained most of the tough trade, defence and technology policies from the Donald Trump era, while Beijing has continued building up its military and nuclear arsenals.
In Washington, Qin has defended China’s position on issues such as human rights in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, and its claim of sovereignty over Taiwan – including when tensions soared after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the self-ruled island in August.
Qin was previously foreign vice-minister and oversaw media relations and protocol for international visits – observers say he gained Xi’s trust when he was involved in arrangements for the president’s overseas trips.
Qin has been a foreign ministry spokesman twice – from 2005 to 2010, and from 2011 to 2015. The later period was when Chinese diplomacy shifted away from “keeping a low profile” with the rise of a younger generation of combative “Wolf Warrior” diplomats – including Qin – named after a 2015 blockbuster film.
He also has overseas experience in Europe and Britain, rising up the ranks from attaché to counsellor and eventually minister at the Chinese embassy in London.
