"US-China, Veteran Diplomats Burns and Qin Gang Likely as Ambassadors to Each Other"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The United States and China are expected to simultaneously appoint veteran diplomats as ambassadors to each other's countries. Amid escalating conflicts over global hegemony, assigning professional diplomats as ambassadors on the front lines of these challenges is interpreted as emphasizing the importance of mutual dialogue.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 20th (local time), citing sources, the Biden administration plans to nominate Nicholas Burns, a career diplomat, as the first U.S. ambassador to China.

Burns served as State Department spokesperson under the Bill Clinton administration and as Under Secretary of State under the George W. Bush administration, playing active roles in both Democratic and Republican governments. He is also a diplomatic expert who served as NATO ambassador and ambassador to Greece for four years starting in 2001, when the 9/11 attacks occurred.

WSJ highlighted that Burns, who has extensive diplomatic relationships and policy experience, is being nominated for the critical post of ambassador to China at a time when U.S.-China relations have rapidly deteriorated since the Trump administration.

David Dollar, an expert on U.S.-China economic relations from the Treasury Department, said, "Nominating Burns, who has a policy background, as ambassador to China is a positive signal to China that the Biden administration values mutual dialogue."

The Chinese government also plans to appoint Qin Gang, a career diplomat and Vice Foreign Minister, as the next Chinese ambassador to the United States. Vice Minister Qin has served twice as spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry and has been the director of the Protocol Department since 2014, accompanying President Xi Jinping on foreign visits and closely assisting him for several years.

At the 2016 G20 summit held in Hangzhou, China, there is an anecdote that President Xi asked Qin, who was coordinating various events and conferences, "Do you have any time to rest during the schedule?"

In a video speech at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum held in Boao, Hainan Province, President Xi said to the U.S., "No country or a few countries should impose rules on other countries, nor should the world be forced to conform to the unilateralism of some countries."

Although he did not directly mention the United States, this was effectively a warning message aimed at the U.S., raising tensions.

China’s appointment of veteran diplomat Qin Gang as ambassador to the U.S. is analyzed as a strategic move to actively assert its presence in the process of resuming dialogue with the United States and seeking solutions.

WSJ reported that Qin Gang’s nomination as ambassador to the U.S. suggests that the Chinese leadership hopes to restore the high-level strategic dialogue between the U.S. and China that was suspended during the Trump administration.

Qin Gang, the youngest among the vice ministers of the Foreign Ministry at 55 years old, is expected to approach the coordination of bilateral relations with a young and sophisticated demeanor, more as a "diplomat" than a "warrior."

Myron Brilliant, Vice President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said, "In the current U.S.-China conflict situation, Qin Gang’s mission will be to serve as a trustworthy bridge rather than a spokesperson for the Chinese government."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.