Original title: Vice Foreign Minister Qin Gang went to the U.S. to take up his new post as Ambassador to the U.S. The two spokespersons were “tough and sharp” impressive
[环球时报-环球网报道 记者白云怡]According to CCTV News, on the afternoon of July 28 local time, Qin Gang, the new Chinese ambassador to the United States, arrived in New York. Earlier, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying also confirmed on her personal Twitter account that Qin Gang had set off for his post as the new Chinese ambassador to the United States. Qin Gang was previously known as a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and his “tough” speech style. This appointment comes at a time when U.S. President Biden is trying to unite allies against China, while China is trying to reshape Sino-U.S. relations into “two “The relationship between equal powers”.
It is worth noting that Qin Gang’s new appointment coincides with two days after the US Deputy Secretary of State Sherman visited Tianjin and met with Wang Yi and other senior Chinese diplomats. Analysts told the “Global Times” reporter that under the current background of Sino-US relations, Qin Gang’s primary task after serving as ambassador to the United States will be to convey China’s position and demands on the one hand, to promote the United States to change its course, and to resolve the relationship between China and the United States. Existing problems; on the other hand, it is also necessary to manage the differences between the two countries to avoid further deterioration of Sino-US relations.
The ambassador to the United States has always occupied an important position in the ranks of Chinese diplomats. Public information shows that Qin Gang, 55 years old this year, is currently the youngest deputy foreign minister. His new appointment also means that the Chinese ambassador to the United States has entered the “post-60s era.” Qin Gang’s most noticed resume is that he has served as the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs twice for eight years. He is also regarded as a diplomat with a good image and demeanor, and has extensive experience in dealing with international media. Public opinion at home and abroad is also very familiar with him.
In addition, Qin Gang served three times in the Chinese Embassy in the UK, and served as the Director-General of the Protocol Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2014 to 2018. The Protocol Department is one of the most important departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It needs to help plan the itinerary of China’s top leaders’ visits, meetings, and participation in large-scale events.
A Chinese expert familiar with foreign affairs and Sino-US relations told the Global Times reporter that Qin Gang has extensive experience in different departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and has experience in relevant domestic and overseas departments. He has dealt with many challenges. A highly professional diplomat. The current Sino-US relationship is highly complex. After Ambassador Cui Tiankai ends his term in June this year, handling the difficult and sensitive Sino-US relationship requires a professional and capable diplomat to serve as the ambassador. Cui Tiankai, 68, has served as China’s ambassador to the United States for eight years and is also the longest-serving Chinese ambassador to the United States. He witnessed the tremendous transformation of Sino-US relations from cooperation-oriented to competition-oriented and even confrontation-oriented.
Diao Daming, an associate professor of the School of International Relations at Renmin University of China, told the Global Times that Qin Gang’s primary task after assuming his new post is to adhere to China’s consistent policy toward the United States, stabilize China-US relations, and promote cooperation with the United States as much as possible. This means that on the one hand, he needs to establish efficient communication with the current U.S. government officials as soon as possible to safeguard China’s national interests, while managing differences, enhancing trust and dispelling doubts; on the other hand, he needs to have extensive contacts with all walks of life in the United States to expand the public opinion base for cooperation between the two countries .
“The Wall Street Journal” previously analyzed that a major challenge facing Qin Gang is to be able to represent Beijing’s position while still building a bridge between China and the United States. At present, the two parties in the United States have shown rare unity in their tough stance on China.
The aforementioned unnamed diplomatic scholars analyzed to the Global Times reporters that compared with previous years, the current Sino-US relationship presents a new challenge that the domestic political atmosphere toward China is “extremely unhealthy” and anti-China sentiment continues to rise. In this context, how to convey China’s position and voice to different classes and fields, including the US government, and push all sectors of the United States to look at China’s actions and intentions in a calm and rational way again, and become the new Chinese ambassador to the United States. Important challenge. He believes that Qin Gang’s many years of working experience in the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will help accomplish this goal.
In 2014, Qin Gang said in response to China’s military budget increase at a press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “The Chinese People’s Liberation Army is not just a boy scout with a red tasseled gun. Some people abroad always hope that China is a boy scout who does not grow up. If that is the case. If that is the case, who will maintain national security? How to maintain world peace? If that is the case, China will be peaceful? The region will be stable? The world will be peaceful? Even the Boy Scouts, his size is getting older year after year, he His feet are getting bigger every year. You can’t let him always wear the little clothes and shoes he used to wear?”
Later, Qin Gang said in a small chat with reporters that in order to respond to the outside world’s doubts about the growth of China’s military budget and clearly explain the considerations behind the relevant policies in the most understandable and well-founded way, he thought for a long time and stayed overnight. After being able to fall asleep, there was a widely circulated saying that “The Chinese People’s Liberation Army is not a boy scout with a red-tasseled spear”.
A Chinese reporter who had interacted with Qin Gang told the Global Times that what Qin Gang impressed her most was his “easy-going”, no pretensions, no sense of distance from reporters, and bold and straightforward speech and action, unlike the usual The traditional style of serious and cautious officials is not consistent.
In a briefing held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on February 9 this year, Qin Gang retorted a foreign media reporter’s claim of “Chinese Wolf Warrior Diplomacy”, saying, “If we look at some countries and people today, They may not be able to describe the groundless and bottomless slander and slander against China as a “wolf of war”, which is simply a “bad wolf”.” Qin Gang emphasized that in the face of all kinds of crazy attacks against China, China Of course, diplomats have to stand up and say no. This is completely different from blindly showing strong.
National Public Radio (NPR) once quoted a former American diplomat, describing Qin Gang’s career as a spokesperson and its significance to China’s diplomacy: “That was the moment when China stepped onto the world stage after the global financial crisis. …In a sense, he (Qin Gang) is the face of an emerging China that is cleaning up the mess. From the Chinese perspective, the United States has broken the global financial system and China is saving it. “
It is worth noting that some foreign media have noticed that different from the resumes of many previous ambassadors to the United States, Qin Gang has not previously worked in the Chinese embassy in the United States, but focuses more on the United Kingdom and Europe. Affairs. Diao Daming stated that Qin Gang is the eleventh ambassador to the United States since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. Most of the ten previous ambassadors to the United States have served as deputy foreign ministers. The appointment of Qin Gang conforms to this practice. In addition to this, the previous ambassadors to the United States have their own experiences.
He also said that when China is handling its relations with the United States, it not only needs to “see the United States in depth”, but also “look at the United States while bypassing the United States“, that is, to view the United States on the basis of the global picture. “In this way, when dealing with the US policy, there will be more new ideas and new ideas.”
“A Chinese ambassador with sharp words and talent for acting may make Sino-US relations more colorful,” NPR commented.
It is also worth noting that Branstad, the US ambassador to China, left his post in September last year, and his replacement has not yet been announced. In the past month, the two countries did not have ambassadors to each other at the same time, which is unusual in the history of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States.
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