What’s new: China’s former vice foreign minister Zheng Zeguang has replaced Liu Xiaoming as ambassador to the U.K.
In his first remarks upon arrival in London, he said that the two countries should deepen cooperation in trade, finance, and innovation, while addressing their differences properly.
“As long as the principles of mutual respect, equality, inclusiveness and mutual learning are observed, China-U.K. relations will keep moving forward and make further progress,” he said.
The 57-year-old diplomat started work at the foreign ministry in 1986, becoming assistant foreign minister in 2013 and vice foreign minister in 2015. In the last two decades, he has focused on US-related issues, with roles at the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs and the Chinese embassy in the U.S.
The background: Zheng replaces Liu Xiaoming, who served as Chinese ambassador to the U.K. for 11 years, the longest serving Chinese envoy to the country. His appointment comes after China has waited to name new ambassadors, while bilateral relations with both the U.K. and the US have worsened.
Qin Gang, another veteran diplomat, was reportedly named as the next ambassador to the U.S. to replace current Ambassador Cui Tiankai, according to a Wall Street Journal report in late April. Before his current post as vice foreign minister, he has worked in the Department of West European Affairs and the Chinese embassy in the U.K.
Contact reporter Cai Xuejiao (xuejiaocai@caixin.com) and editor Heather Mowbray (heathermowbray@caixin.com)
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