JAKARTA - China appointed its ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, as the new foreign minister, showing signs of a return to a more friendly key diplomatic strategy following an escalating reaction to its confrontational style.
The move was announced late Friday by China's National Radio, which said the decision was made at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, citing The Straits Times Dec. 30.
Qin replace Wang Yi who was promoted to the Chinese Communist Party's politburo in October, is expected to play a bigger role in foreign policy.
Being an aide to President Xi Jinping's trust, he was once a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to the placement at the Chinese Embassy in the UK. He also serves as chief protocol officer for President Xi Jinping.
Born in Tianjin on March 19, 1966, Qin was sent to the US as ambassador in July 2021. He is said to have crossed the thin line between defending Beijing's interests and showing the soft side of Chinese diplomacy.
For a year in Washington, the envoy has made his first throw in a baseball match at the St. Louis Cardinals, riding the Tesla alongside billionaire Elon Musk, and most recently, making free throws at the Washington Wizards NBA basketball game.
Tried my first throw at an NBA game @WashWizards. Also renewed our special relationship as Washington Wizards was the first NBA team to visit China in 1979 when our two countries established diplomatic relationship. pic.twitter.com/VCX7JncN7i
— Qin Gang 秦刚 (@AmbQinGang) December 28, 2022
Not just a basketball club, Qin wrote on his Twitter account, Washington Wizards (formerly Washington Bullets) was the first NBA club to visit China in 1979, marking diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Citing thosemags, Washington Bullets came to the Land of the Bamboo Curtain on August 24, 1979. They played an exhibition match in Beijing and Shanghai against China's national basketball team and Baby Rockets.
As a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he has conveyed some of China's most moderate messages on hot topics.
Qin also said Beijing would try to stop Russia from invading Ukraine if it knew the plan before. He also reduced the risk of war with Taiwan.
Qin' appointment coincided with President Xi's push to mend a broken relationship with the United States and its allies.
It is known that President Xi held his first face-to-face meeting with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Group 20 Summit (G20) in Bali, Indonesia last November.
Beijing's more assertive foreign policy has contributed to the collapse of worldwide public support during Xi's decade in power, with the number of people in the US who have a bad view of China rising to 82 percent by 2021.
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