Qian Qichen
Qian Qichen | |
---|---|
钱其琛 | |
Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
In office 12 April 1988 – 18 March 1998 | |
Premier | Li Peng |
Preceded by | Wu Xueqian |
Succeeded by | Tang Jiaxuan |
Personal details | |
Born | People's Republic of China | 5 January 1928
Political party | Chinese Communist Party (joined in 1942) |
Spouse | Zhou Hanqiong (周寒琼) |
Children | 2 |
Qian Qichen | |
---|---|
Hanyu Pinyin | Qián Qíchēn |
Wade–Giles | Ch'ien Ch'i-ch'en |
Qian Qichen (
Life and career
Qian Qichen hailed from a prominent scholarly family from Waigang (外冈),
From 1942 to 1945, Qian attended the
Qian left for the Soviet Union and studied at the Komsomol Central School in Moscow from 1954 to 1955. From 1955 to 1963, he worked as a diplomat in Moscow.[5] He successively served as Second Secretary in the Chinese Embassy, Director of Department of Overseas Chinese Students and Deputy Director General of the Foreign Department of the Ministry of Higher Education, and Counsellor in the Chinese Embassy.[4][6]
During the Cultural Revolution, Qian was persecuted and sent to perform hard labour at a May Seventh Cadre School from 1966 to 1972. After his political rehabilitation, he served as Ambassador to Guinea (1974–76) and concurrently Ambassador to Guinea-Bissau (1974–75). He went to work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1977 and was vice-minister of foreign affairs from 1982 to 1988 and minister from 1988 to 1998. He was Vice Premier of the State Council, under Premiers Li Peng and Zhu Rongji, from 1993 until his retirement in 2003.[4][6][7]
While serving as Director of the Information Department of the Foreign Ministry from 1977 to 1982, he proposed establishing a spokesperson system and became the first spokesperson of the Ministry.[8]
Qian became Foreign Minister in April 1988.[9] As Foreign Minister, Qian played a critical role in shaping China's foreign policy during CCP general secretary Jiang Zemin's administration,[3] and was a key player handling the return to Chinese sovereignty of Hong Kong and Macau.[10] He was in charge of border negotiations with the Soviet Union in the 1980s, which resulted in a successful settlement of the border dispute and the thawing of the bilateral relations between China and Russia.[3]
He was also instrumental in handling China's normalization of relations with the West in the difficult period after the
He was the first Chinese diplomat to attend an
In 1992, he was tasked with traveling to Pyongyang, North Korea to inform Kim Il Sung that China would be establishing formal diplomatic relations with South Korea.[13]
Qian was a member of the 12th to 15th CCP Central Committee. He was a member of the 14th and 15th CCP Politburo.[4]
In November 2005, Qian was awarded the Order of the Polar Star, the highest civilian award of Mongolia, for his contributions to China–Mongolia relations.[4]
Personal life
Qian was fluent in Russian and English, and understood some French.[4] He was married to Zhou Hanqiong (周寒琼). They had a son and a daughter.[4] He published a memoir in 2004, entitled Ten Episodes in China's Diplomacy (外交十记).[13]
Death
Qian died of illness on 9 May 2017 in Beijing, at the age of 89. His funeral and subsequent cremation at
He was officially eulogized as "an excellent Communist Party member, a time-tested and loyal communist soldier, a proletarian revolutionist, and an outstanding diplomat."[10]
References
- ^ "Former Chinese vice-premier Qian Qichen dies, aged 90". Today Online. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
- ^ "上海嘉定走出的外交家钱其琛". The Paper (in Chinese). May 10, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Former Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen dies at 89: Xinhua". Nikkei. May 11, 2017. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "钱其琛". People's Daily (in Chinese). Retrieved May 10, 2017.
- ^ Buckley, Chris (May 12, 2017). "Qian Qichen, Pragmatic Chinese Envoy, Dies at 89". The New York Times. p. B14. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
- ^ a b "Qian Qichen". Foreign Ministry of China. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
- ISBN 978-7-500-07958-3.
- ^ "Qian Qichen". People's Daily.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-5381-8725-8.
- ^ a b c d "China's 'outstanding' former top diplomat Qian Qichen dies, aged 89". South China Morning Post. May 10, 2017.
- ISBN 9780002570046.
- ^ Full Text: China-ASEAN Cooperation: 1991–2011
- ^ a b Jiangtao, Shi (May 12, 2017). "When late diplomat Qian Qichen had to give North Korea's leader some very bad news". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on May 12, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
- ^ Wong, Stella (May 19, 2017). "Top state leaders out in force for Qian funeral". The Standard. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
- ^ "Late former Vice Premier Qian Qichen cremated". People's Daily. May 18, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
- ^ "Former Chinese foreign minister Qian dies aged 89". The Star Online. May 10, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
External links
- Media related to Qian Qichen at Wikimedia Commons
- Quotations related to Qian Qichen at Wikiquote