China's new team of diplomats set the agenda for 2023

On 1 January, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo member Wang Yi published an article in the CCP journal Qiushi (《求是》), signing off as director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs. This indicated that he had formally taken over from Yang Jiechi as the steward of China's diplomacy.

A few days ago, Chinese ambassador to the US Qin Gang also succeeded Wang as the new foreign minister. With that, China's new diplomatic team is in place, with Wang and Qin at its core.

Sixty-nine-year-old Wang Yi has a refined and pleasant demeanour. Over his decade-long tenure as the country's foreign minister, Wang was described in China as the man who changed the image of Chinese diplomacy.

In his youth, Wang had been a sent-down youth working in the countryside and a factory. He entered the Beijing Second Foreign Languages Institute in 1978 and began his career as a diplomat after graduating in 1982. He rose through the ranks and became vice-foreign minister at the age of 48, the youngest vice-minister in the foreign ministry at the time.

In 2004, Wang was appointed as Chinese ambassador to Japan, where he would serve until 2007. Following this, he was promoted to vice-minister and CCP party secretary of the foreign ministry, thus assuming a ministerial role.

In 2008, Wang was transferred to lead the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, before taking over Yang Jiechi's position as foreign minister in 2013. Yang then became state councilor and director of the Office of the Central Leading Group for Foreign Affairs. In the following decade, Yang and Wang were the core of China's diplomatic team. 　　

Following the CCP's 19th Party Congress in 2017, the Central Leading Group for Foreign Affairs was elevated to the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, and China's senior foreign affairs officials came to enjoy a higher status in the political hierarchy. As a Politburo member, Yang became director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, while Wang continued his role as foreign minister and state councilor.

After the CCP's 20th Party Congress in October 2022, Wang replaced Yang and was promoted to the Politburo despite crossing the customary retirement age of 68. This shows the Chinese higher-ups' affirmation of Wang, and also the importance of the diplomatic corps in China's political arena.　　

That said, Wang is nearing 70 and it would be a tall order to bear the rigours of frequent travel as foreign minister. Having been promoted to the Politburo, it was also not possible for him to remain in his position. Clearly, there was a need to promote younger officials to ensure a smooth transition in the diplomatic team.

Prior to the CCP's 20th Party Congress, there were several potential candidates for the role of foreign minister, including director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council Liu Jieyi, director of the International Liaison Department Liu Jianchao, and Vice-Foreign Minister Le Yucheng.

However, Liu Jieyi did not make it to the new CCP Central Committee; Liu Jianchao had only been serving in his current role for a few months; and Le took a big blow in his career when he was appointed deputy head of China's National Radio and Television Administration before the 20th Party Congress.

Qin Gang thus stood out. At the CCP's 20th Party Congress, Qin entered the new Central Committee as Chinese ambassador to the US, becoming the first incumbent ambassador to join the Central Committee since reform and opening up and also a strong contender for the foreign minister role. On 30 December 2022, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress replaced Wang with Qin as foreign minister.

At 56 years old, Qin is also the youngest foreign minister since China's reform and opening up. Since graduating from the University of International Relations in 1988, he has served in China's foreign ministry in various roles, including head of the Department of West European Affairs, and deputy director general and subsequently director general of the information department. He also has eight years of rich experience dealing with the media given his two stints as foreign ministry spokesperson.

When Qin became the foreign ministry spokesperson in 2005, he was inexperienced and restrained, but he quickly adapted to his role and often gave impressive responses to media queries.

In March 2014, the media asked if China's military spending was too high and was making other countries uncomfortable. Qin replied, "I want to reiterate that the Chinese People's Liberation Army is not a children's corps equipped with red-tasselled spears. Some outside China hope to see China stay as a boy scout and never grow up."

He added, "Even if China were a boy scout, he will grow taller and his feet will grow larger year by year. You cannot simply have him wearing the same small clothes and shoes, can you?"

In July 2021, Qin was appointed Chinese ambassador to the US. Over his 500 days or so in that role, Qin held to the basic position while showing a softer stance in interacting with various groups across America's different states and industries, seeking to change China's diplomatic image as a "wolf warrior". Qin's performance in the US clearly won the approval of China's top leaders, which was one of the reasons why he was directly promoted from ambassador to foreign minister.

Anchored by Wang Yi and Qin Gang, China's fresh diplomatic team will see experienced members leading newcomers. After taking over from Yang Jiechi, Wang will mainly accompany top leaders in overseas events, while frontline diplomacy will fall to Qin.

Wang Yi's article in Qiushi summarised China's main diplomatic tasks in 2023, including ensuring "head-of-state diplomacy" and core efforts; creating more conducive external conditions for high-quality growth; being proactive in recognising, seeking and responding to change; as well as guarding against and resolving major external risks and challenges.

He added that China would promote big-country relations of peaceful co-existence, overall stability and equitable growth; deepen trust and mutually beneficial cooperation and cement the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Russia; and implement agreements reached by the top leaders of the US and China, seek to establish guiding principles of China-US relations and correct course in line with the guiding principles.

Meanwhile, he noted that China would also enhance high-level exchanges and strategic communication with Europe, and drive the stable and long-term development of China-Europe relations; adhere to the principles of friendliness, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, maintain good relations with neighbours as partners in diplomacy, and deepen friendship, mutual trust and areas of common interest with neighbours.

But when it comes to China's diplomacy, the top priority is handling China-US relations, maintaining fundamental stability while ensuring that bottom lines are not crossed, and making sure China does not fully decouple from the West.

Indeed, it will be no easy task for Wang and Qin to maintain China-US relations given the long-term tussling between the two countries. Fortunately, they have a wealth of diplomatic experience and are trusted by the top. It is worth watching how they fare in the future.

This article was first published in Lianhe Zaobao as "中国外交新团队定型".

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