[ad_1]
Beijing –Former Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi replaced Yang Jiechi as head of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office and became the country’s top diplomat.
Mr. Wang, 69 years old, He served as foreign minister for nearly a decade and was the only diplomat to be promoted to the 24-member Politburo, the party’s highest decision-making body, during the Communist Party’s congress in October.
Wang served as ambassador to Japan before becoming foreign minister in 2013. Since 2018, he has also served as a member of the State Council, the equivalent of deputy prime minister.
In China’s foreign policy in recent years, it has become increasingly clear that while the Party formulates the overall foreign policy strategy, senior government officials carry out working-level tasks.
In a government announcement on December 30, former ambassador to the United States Qin Gang (56) was appointed as foreign minister to replace Wang.
In an article posted on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website on January 1, Wang addressed China-US relations and vowed to uphold the principles of stabilizing relations between major powers.
He also said that China’s supreme leader, Party General Secretary Xi Jinping, said there would be no new Cold War in the 21st century.
Turning to the topic of Taiwan, Wang noted that China had expressed strong opposition to U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last August, and reiterated the Chinese government’s position of not making any concessions on this issue. He said China has demonstrated firm determination to protect territorial sovereignty.
Regarding China-Russia relations, he said that no matter what changes occur in the international situation, the Chinese government is always ready to advance its partnership with Russia.
Wang did not directly mention Japan in his paper. But he noted that the United States and a small number of countries are pursuing an Indo-Pacific strategy that creates a small, closed and exclusive grouping.
He said China will counter any moves that disrupt regional peace and stability.
[ad_2]
Source link
