Stories of the Rivers of Sichuan｜Two or Three Things About Former Foreign Minister Qin Gang

On the afternoon of July 18, the communique of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee revealed

The meeting decided to accept Comrade Qin Gang’s resignation and remove Comrade Qin Gang from his position as a member of the Central Committee.

At this point, Qin Gang has successively resigned from three important positions: Minister of Foreign Affairs, State Councilor, and Member of the Central Committee.

Qin Gang was elected as a member of the Central Committee during the 20th National Congress. At that time, he was still the Ambassador to the United States, and he was also the only vice-ministerial-level official in the diplomatic system to be a member of the Central Committee, and the first ambassador to the United States to become a member of the Central Committee during his term.

A few months later, on December 30, 2022, Qin Gang, who had been the Ambassador to the United States for less than two years, was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, breaking the convention, and thus attracting high attention from the international community.

01  What kind of person can be the Ambassador to the United States?

China’s ambassadors abroad are now all at the deputy-department level or above, with the majority being at the department level. The deputy-ministerial level is the highest level for Chinese officials abroad.

Deputy-ministerial-level officials abroad mainly include: China’s representative to the United Nations, China’s ambassadors to the permanent members of the UN Security Council, China’s ambassadors to Japan, Germany, North Korea, India, Brazil, and South Africa, China’s representative to the European Union, and China’s ambassador to the United Nations Office at Geneva. All of the above-mentioned officials abroad are at the deputy-ministerial level.

And the United States is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, so the Chinese Ambassador to the United States is at the deputy-ministerial level, which is clear.

From a historical perspective, Sino-US relations eased in 1972, and both sides established liaison offices. The officials dispatched were called directors of the liaison offices, which were equivalent to later ambassadors, but it was not yet ambassador-level relations at that time. It was not until 1978 that China and the United States established ambassador-level diplomatic relations.

From the establishment of the liaison office in 1972 to the end of 2022, China has appointed a total of two directors of the liaison office and 11 ambassadors to the United States.

The second of these two directors of the liaison office was also China’s first ambassador to the United States – Chai Zemin.

By sorting out, we can see:

First, a common characteristic of Chinese ambassadors to the United States is that they all have long-term experience in diplomatic work and rich diplomatic experience.

Second, eight Chinese ambassadors to the United States had already been appointed as vice ministers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before being appointed as ambassadors to the United States, and they were officials at the deputy-ministerial level with actual positions, which is also a relatively consistent characteristic.

In other words, the Chinese ambassador to the United States is not promoted from the department level to the deputy-ministerial level, but is transferred from the position of vice minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who is in office to the position of ambassador to the United States. This is very different from ambassadors to other countries.

It is not to say that China must have such a regulation when appointing an ambassador to the United States, but this reflects the importance of Sino-US relations and China’s emphasis on Sino-US relations.

Sino-US relations are increasingly becoming one of the most important bilateral relations in the world, and also one of the most valued and important bilateral relations for China.

As the chief diplomat representing China in handling this important bilateral relationship, the Chinese Ambassador to the United States has a heavy responsibility and a heavy task. He not only has to perform all the duties of an ambassador abroad, but also has to skillfully resolve the contradictions and differences between the two countries through diplomatic means and mediate Sino-US relations.

Chinese Ambassadors to the United States (1979-2022)

The editor noticed that when Qin Gang was the Ambassador to the United States, he was 55 years old, which made him the second youngest ambassador to the United States among Chinese ambassadors, with Yang Jiechi being the youngest. Cui Tiankai was the longest-serving Chinese Ambassador to the United States, serving for as long as 8 years.

02  The youngest Minister of Foreign Affairs after Zhou Enlai?

Since the founding of New China, a total of 12 foreign ministers have been produced.

The first Minister of Foreign Affairs was Premier Zhou Enlai. In the early days of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, he faced the “death situation” of political isolation and economic blockade imposed on New China by Western countries. Based on the principle of independence and self-reliance, he began a difficult battle to break the situation, and was hailed as the “soul of New China’s diplomacy”.

After him, the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs was held by Chen Yi, Ji Pengfei, Qiao Guanhua, Huang Hua, Wu Xueqian, Qian Qichen, Tang Jiaxuan, Li Zhaoxing, Yang Jiechi, and Wang Yi.

They each have their own characteristics. For example, Zhou Enlai’s Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence won widespread respect for New China in the international arena; Chen Yi was the only Foreign Minister with a military rank; Qiao Guanhua was the first diplomat to take the stage of the United Nations General Assembly; Yang Jiechi’s style of gentleness with firmness was called “Tiger Yang” by US President George H.W. Bush; Wang Yi was hailed as a “god” by netizens in the Internet era.

On December 30, 2022, according to the decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Qin Gang became the twelfth Minister of Foreign Affairs in the history of New China, and also the youngest Minister of Foreign Affairs after Premier Zhou.

Qin Gang, 56, is in his prime, with a complete diplomatic resume, rich experience, and familiarity with Europe and the United States. He was born in March 1966, has a university degree, and joined the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1988. He has served as Secretary, Deputy Director, and Director of the Department of Western European Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister of the British Embassy, Deputy Director and Director of the Information Department and Spokesperson, Director of the Protocol Department, Assistant Minister, and Vice Minister. In 2021, he was transferred to the Chinese Ambassador to the United States.

There is a possibility that he, who has long been dealing with Europe, was already included in the vision of the new government’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the dispatch of the Ambassador to the United States was to make up for the lesson of the United States.

In order to complete the homework of getting familiar with the United States, Qin Gang, during his 524 days in office, visited 22 states in the United States and had extensive exchanges with people from political, business, sports, and civil society, and made many friends.

On December 27 last year, on the eve of his appointment as Foreign Minister, he appeared at an NBA game in the name of the Ambassador to the United States and gave a shooting performance – he made a shot on the free throw line.

In fact, the US side was also surprised by Qin Gang’s appointment. Blinken called Qin Gang, who had just taken office, on the first day of the new year (January 1). He said on Twitter that he discussed US-China relations with Qin Gang in the phone call and was committed to maintaining open communication channels. This shows that the US side also attaches great importance to Sino-US relations.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying: “Qin Gang bid farewell to Blinken, recalling the several frank, in-depth, and constructive meetings with Blinken during his tenure as Ambassador to the United States. He looks forward to continuing to maintain close working relations with Blinken and promoting the improvement and development of Sino-US relations. The two sides also exchanged New Year greetings in the phone call.”

03  Is he the son of Qin Bangxian?

It was once rumored online that Qin Gang was the son of Qin Bangxian (Bo Gu), an early leader of the Communist Party of China. Is the rumor true or false? We can understand the situation of Qin Bangxian’s six children. The following content comes from People’s Daily.

During the Anti-Japanese War, Bo Gu and his family in Yan’an

Bo Gu, formerly known as Qin Bangxian

Bo Gu, formerly known as Qin Bangxian, was an early leader of the Communist Party of China and an important founder and pioneer of the Party’s news career.

Bo Gu’s first wife, Liu Qunxian, participated in leading the Wuxi workers’ strike movement. Snow called her “China’s outstanding female worker leader” in “Red Star Over China”. She joined the Communist Party of China in 1926 and met Bo Gu at the World Labor Congress in Moscow. She married Bo Gu in 1928. During the Long March, she served as the captain of the women’s team. In 1939, she went to Moscow for medical treatment and lost contact with Bo Gu, and was sacrificed in the Soviet Patriotic War.

Bo Gu’s second wife, Zhang Yuexia, joined the Communist Party of China in 1927 and has long been engaged in the Party’s underground work. She met Bo Gu while working at the Nanjing Eighth Route Army Office, and married Bo Gu while working at the Chongqing Southern Bureau of the Communist Party of China.

In 1946, Bo Gu, together with Wang Ruofei, Deng Fa, Ye Ting, Huang Qisheng and 13 others, flew from Chongqing to Yan’an. Due to bad weather, the plane lost its way and crashed into the Heichashan Mountain in Xingxian County, Shanxi Province, and all the people were killed.

At that time, Zhang Yuexia was only in her 30s. Someone advised her to reorganize her family, and she asked, “What about Bo Gu’s children?” After that, she took care of Bo Gu’s children with Liu Qunxian and her own children until they grew up. In 1979, Zhang Yuexia died of illness in Beijing.

Bo Gu had 6 children, 3 sons and 3 daughters, and most of them had a rough experience:

The eldest son, Qin Gang, died young: The eldest son, Qin Gang, was the son of Bo Gu and Liu Qunxian. After his birth, he was taken to Wuxi by his grandmother, and later followed his uncle Qin Bangli to Guangzhou and Hong Kong. After 1949, Zhang Yuexia took him to her home and went to university in Beijing. Unfortunately, he contracted pulmonary disease and died early in 1954.

The eldest daughter, Qin Moya, taught for life: In 1933, after Bo Gu went to the Central Soviet Area from Shanghai, Liu Qunxian gave birth to her eldest daughter in May, named Moya, which means May in Russian. After graduating from elementary school, she dropped out of school. In order to subsidize the family, Qin Moya went to a Japanese factory to work as a child laborer and helped others wash clothes. Later, she was deceived by a Chongqing person who claimed to help her find her mother and was taken to his home to be a maid. After graduating from Beijing Normal University, Qin Moya first taught at Beijing No. 1 Middle School and was in charge of the education of all students in the school. Later, she taught at Beijing Normal University and served as the Party branch secretary of the Chinese Department. After retirement, she successively served as the vice president and professor of Chinese at the Language Institute of China University of Science and Technology and the Jingshi University of Science and Technology until 2001.

The second son, Qin Gang, had the best grades: The second son, Qin Gang, was called Xiao Qin Gang by his family, and was the son of Bo Gu and Liu Qunxian. In the summer of 1937, the Party Central Committee moved from Ba’an County (now Zhidan County) to Yan’an. During the move, Qin Gang was born in Cuicun, 7 miles away from Yan’an. Qin Gang’s nickname was Afu. Before going to school, he asked his father to give him a school name. Bo Gu was working and without thinking, he picked up a pen and wrote “Qin Gang”. He forgot that the name he gave to his eldest son was “Qin Gang”. Later, Qin Gang developed an aneurysm in his abdomen, and the operation was successfully removed. Soon after, another one grew. He said, “I won’t go for the operation tomorrow, I’ll go swimming the day after tomorrow.” Unexpectedly, the aneurysm burst while swimming, and he left the world without saying a word.

The second daughter, Qin Xinhua: Named in memory of the publication of the “Xinhua Daily”. Qin Xinhua is the daughter of Bo Gu and Liu Qunxian. She was born in 1938 when the “Xinhua Daily” was published in Wuhan, and Bo Gu named her Xinhua. She said, “My father gave me a good name.” Qin Xinhua is the wife of Li Tieying, the former Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, and has served as the Deputy Director of the Science and Technology Department of the Ministry of Health and the President of the China Eugenics and Child Development Association.

The third daughter, Qin Jima, a daughter Bo Gu didn’t know before his death: In 1939, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China decided to send some comrades with poor health to the Soviet Union for recuperation, including He Zizhen, Liu Qunxian, and Jin Weiying. Liu Qunxian was already pregnant. On June 30, 1940, Liu Qunxian gave birth to a daughter in Moscow, named Jima (an abbreviation of the Russian Communist Youth League). Later, Liu Qunxian and Jin Weiying were killed in the bombing of German aircraft. Since Bo Gu returned to China in 1930, he never went to the Soviet Union again, so Bo Gu did not know that he had such a daughter before his death. Later, Qin Jima was sent to Harbin Military Engineering Institute to study, and after graduation, she was assigned to the Naval Equipment Department to serve as a military representative at the Dalian Red Flag Shipyard.

The third son, Qin Tie, the son who refused to kowtow to his father’s grave as a child: Qin Tie, the youngest son of Bo Gu, was born in 1940 and was the son of Bo Gu and Zhang Yuexia. He was not very sensible when Bo Gu died in 1946. He thought that his father had promised to buy him gifts when he returned from Chongqing, but he couldn’t get them. His mother, Zhang Yuexia, asked him to kowtow to his father’s grave, but he refused. In the end, he had to kneel reluctantly.

From the above situation of Qin Bangxian’s children, it can be seen that Qin Bangxian did have a son named Qin Gang, and not just one, but two sons were named Qin Gang, but they were both born before the liberation.

Qin Gang, who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, was born in 1966, more than twenty years later, and could not possibly be the son of Qin Bangxian.

Source of materials: official media/online news