According to Xinhua News Agency reported on May 10, former state councilor and former Vice Premier Qian Qichen died in Beijing at 22:06 on May 9, 2017 due to illness at the age of 90.
According to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qian Qichen served as China’s foreign minister from 1988 to 1998 and had rich diplomatic experience. Xinhua News Agency reported earlier that in 1982, it was Qian Qichen who initiated the spokesman system of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Xinhua news agency said in a report in 2015 that more than 30 years ago, at the “irregular” press conference with no seats, no questions and only three sentences, qian Qichen initiated the spokesperson system of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On March 24, 1982, Brezhnev, the leader of the former Soviet Union, delivered a speech in Tashkent. Although he was still full of attacks on China, he clearly expressed his willingness to improve Soviet-Chinese relations. Deng Xiaoping immediately noticed the message delivered by the speech and instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to respond immediately.
Two days later, in front of the lobby of the main building of the East Fourth site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qian Qichen said to 70 or 80 Chinese and foreign journalists: “We have noticed the speech on Sino-Soviet relations delivered by chairman Brezhnev of the Soviet Union in Tashkent on March 24. We firmly reject the attack on China in our speech. In Sino-Soviet relations and international affairs, we attach importance to the practical actions of the Soviet Union.”
The three sentences are cautious and implicit, but contain the information that China’s relations with the Soviet Union may have a major turning point, which shocked the world public opinion. After the statement was finished, no questions were asked. After the press conference, “China’s press spokesman” entered the media view for the first time.
“At that time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not have a formal press conference system. I am still in the post of director of the information department and am considering setting up a press spokesman. This has become an opportunity to establish a spokesman system immediately.” Qian Qichen recalled in the ten records of diplomacy.
[Qian Qichen’s life]]
Qian Qichen was born on January 5, 1928, from Jiading, Shanghai.
From March 1993 to March 2003, Comrade Qian Qichen served as vice premier of the State Council and served as foreign minister from April 1988 to March 1998.
He joined the Communist Party of China in 1942, engaged in underground party learning and transportation in Shanghai, and served as a member of the district committee of Shanghai underground Party Middle School and secretary of the district school committee.
From 1945to 1949, he served as a staff member in Shanghai Ta Kung Pao.
From 1949to 1953, he served as a member of Shanghai Xuhui, Changning, Yangpu District Party Committee and secretary of the Communist Youth League District Committee.
From 1953to 1954, he served as a researcher in the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League.
In 1954, he went to the Soviet Union to study in China Central College for youth leagues.
After 1955, he served as the second secretary of the embassy in the Soviet Union, director of the department of foreign students of the Ministry of Higher Education, deputy director of the Department of Foreign Affairs, counsellor of the embassy in the Soviet Union (1972.4-1974.4), Ambassador to Guinea (1974.8-1976.11) ambassador (1974.9-1975.10), Director of Information Department of Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1976.11-1982.4), Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (1982.4-1988.4), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1988.4-1998.3), state Councilor and Foreign Minister (1991.4-1993.3), Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister (1993.3-1998.3), member of the 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th CPC Central Committee, and member of the 14th and 15th CPC Central Political Bureau.
After serving as foreign minister, he visited more than 100 countries.
From 1982 to 1987, as the special envoy of the Chinese government, 11 rounds of consultations at the level of vice foreign minister of China and Soviet Union were held to discuss the normalization of relations between the two countries. In February and August 1987, as the head of the Chinese government delegation, two rounds of border negotiations were held with the Soviet Union.
In December 1988 and February 1989, they exchanged visits with foreign ministers of the Soviet Union to hold high-level meetings between China and the Soviet Union and to realize the normalization of relations.
In May 1991, the agreement on the eastern section of Sino-Soviet border was signed with the foreign minister of the Soviet Union in Moscow.
From 1992 to 1997, he visited Russia officially for four times. In September 1994, the agreement on the western section of Sino-Russian border was signed with the Russian foreign minister in Moscow.
In the 1990 s, he met with the US secretary of state many times to hold talks on Sino-US relations and major international issues.
Official visits to the United States were made in November 1990, October 1994 and April 1997 respectively.
After 1989, he led a delegation or accompanied the main leaders of the country to visit 12 countries including Germany, France, Britain, Japan and the European community, making the relationship between China and Western countries enter the new developmental period after a period of twists and turns.
In 1991, he visited Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia and put forward the principle of “three transcending”, that is, transcending the differences in social systems, ideologies and values, in terms of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, develop normal state relations on the basis of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs and other principles.
The major international conferences attended by the delegation were: the 43rd to 52th UN General Assembly, the UN Security Council ministerial meeting, the 24th to 28th ASEAN foreign ministers meeting, the first meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum, APEC Ministerial Conference (3rd to 9th), summit meeting of non-aligned countries and United Nations Conference on prohibition of chemical weapons.
In 1996, from February to March, he attended the Asian foreign ministers meeting of Asian member states of the Asia-Europe Meeting and the first Asia-Europe summit. From the end of March to April, he visited six countries including Japan. In July of the same year, China attended the ASEAN dialogue meeting and the third ASEAN Regional Forum meeting as an ASEAN dialogue country for the first time. At this ASEAN foreign ministers meeting, ASEAN officially accepted China as its comprehensive dialogue country. In September of the same year, he led a delegation to visit Canada.
In 1997, he visited 14 countries including France, Egypt, Israel, Palestine and South Africa. In February of the same year, he attended the Asia-Europe foreign ministers meeting, the ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting and the ASEAN and dialogue countries meeting in July.
From January to July 1998, he visited 10 countries including Morocco and Cuba. Important diplomatic documents signed on behalf of the Chinese government include: the Communique on China’s resumption of diplomatic relations with Indonesia, the communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Brunei, Israel, South Korea and South Africa, the agreement on the establishment of Consulate General between China and Norway, agreement on the establishment of the Shang Dynasty office with the sea, and agreement between the Chinese government and the Soviet government on the guiding principles of mutual reduction of military forces and strengthening trust in the military field in the Sino-Soviet border area, Cambodia peace agreement, the United Nations Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, etc.
In July 1993, he served as the director of the Preparatory Committee of the Preparatory Committee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.
In January 1996, he served as the chairman of the Preparatory Committee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the National People’s Congress. In order to implement the principle of “one country, two systems” and create conditions for “Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong” and a high degree of autonomy, and lay a solid foundation, the Preparatory Committee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region held eight plenary meetings successively.
In 1997, as a member of the Chinese government delegation, Vice Premier and Foreign Minister of the State Council went to Hong Kong to attend the handover ceremony of Hong Kong’s return to power.
In April 1998, he served as the chairman of the Preparatory Committee of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the National People’s Congress.
(According to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
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according to Xinhua News Agency reported on May 10, Comrade Qian Qichen, former state councilor and former vice premier of the State Council, died in Beijing at 22:06 on May 9, 2017 at the age of 90. According to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qian Qichen once in 1988