Beijing may appoint Qin Gang, currently deputy foreign minister in charge of European affairs, press and protocol, as ambassador to the United States. (From the website of the Chinese Communist Party’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
The Wall Street Journal reports exclusively on April 20 that the U.S. and China will soon decide on their ambassadors to each other’s countries, with each side choosing a senior diplomat for the post; the U.S. is expected to send former Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns to Beijing, while China may appoint Qin Gang, the current deputy foreign minister for European affairs, press and protocol, as ambassador to the U.S.
It has been eight years since Cui Tiankai, the current Chinese ambassador to the U.S., took office in April 2013. After Biden’s inauguration as U.S. president, the focus of attention has been on who will take over the burden of Cui Tiankai to handle the strained U.S.-China relationship.
On the website of the Communist Party’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qin Gang, 55, joined the ministry in 1988, has been posted to the United Kingdom three times, most recently as minister to the U.K. He has served as director general of the protocol department and spokesman for the ministry in the Communist Party’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and has served as vice foreign minister since 2018.
However, Qin Gang does not have U.S. experience.
The Wall Street Journal reports that in addition to overseeing European and press affairs, Qin Gang was also responsible for planning the diplomatic itinerary for Chinese Communist Party President Xi Jinping, accompanying him on several trips, and was trusted by the hierarchy.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Beijing’s move signals a desire to re-establish regular, high-level U.S.-China meetings through career diplomats at a time of tension between the two countries.
Burns, 65, served as State Department spokesman and ambassador to Greece under former President Bill Clinton. Former President George W. Bush Jr. appointed Burns as ambassador to NATO and undersecretary of state before ending his career as a diplomat in 2008; during the 2020 election campaign, current Secretary of State John Balken asked Burns to serve as foreign policy adviser to the Biden camp.
Several U.S. media outlets have recently reported that Burns’ appointment is in the final stages of pre-screening and that Washington may announce the news soon.
U.S. Ambassador to Beijing Terry Edward Branstad left his post last October and has not yet been replaced.
If Branstad is successful in his appointment to Beijing, it will be the second career diplomat to serve in the post since former Ambassador Stapleton Roy. The seven previous ambassadors to Beijing were governors, senators, admirals or lawyers, and no career diplomats.
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