Zhang Kunsheng

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Zhang Kunsheng
张昆生
Embassy of China in Washington, D.C.
In office
1997–2001
Personal details
BornAugust 1958 (age 65)
Hanyu Pinyin
Zhāng Kūnshēng

Zhang Kunsheng (

Communist Party of China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and expelled from the Communist Party for allegedly[1] violating codes of conduct, making him the most senior diplomat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to have been arrested during the anti-corruption campaign under Xi Jinping
. Despite this, Zhang has yet to be formally accused of any crime as of 2020.

Life and career

Zhang was born and raised in

Embassy of China in Washington, D.C., a position he held until 2001.[3] During this time, Zhang helped plan the official state visit of Jiang Zemin to the United States of America.[4]

Zhang also served as Counsellor of the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China from 2001 to 2003, Counsellor of the General Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2003 to 2007, and Director-General of the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2007 to 2011.[3] He was promoted to Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2011.[3]

In 2015, Zhang was placed under investigation by the Communist Party's anti-corruption agency for "suspected disciplinary violation."[5][6] The year after, despite lack of concrete evidence, he was expelled from the Communist Party. The accusations levied against Zhang have been questioned by analysts, who suspect the arrest was politically motivated.[4][7] As the most senior diplomat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to have been arrested during the anti-corruption campaign, Zhang has yet to be formally accused of any crime by any judicial body.[8]

Personal life

Zhang was married to Xiao Jie (Chinese: 肖杰), a former badminton player of the China national badminton team. Together, they have one daughter.[9]

References

  1. ^ "China Fires Senior Diplomat for Alleged Corruption | Voice of America - English". www.voanews.com. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
  2. ^ "張昆生:一個昆明人的外交生涯" (in Chinese). Archived from the original on June 9, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Zhang Kunsheng". Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2011-04-26.
  4. ^ a b "Senior Chinese diplomat Zhang Kunsheng sacked for corruption: foreign ministry". South China Morning Post. 2015-01-02. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
  5. ^ "Zhang Kunsheng investigated for disciplinary violation". China.org. January 2, 2015.
  6. ^ "中国外长助理张昆生被免职 涉嫌违纪接受调查". Reuters.
  7. ^ Keating, Joshua (2015-01-02). "Chinese Presidents Never Show Off Their Human Sides. Why Is Xi?". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
  8. ^ Panda, Ankit. "Top Chinese Diplomat Falls to Corruption Probe". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
  9. ^ "外交部部長助理張昆生妻子:曾是中國羽球隊員" (in Chinese).