'Jeonrang Diplomacy' Qin Gang, Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councilor Concurrently Serving

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] Qin Gang, China's Foreign Minister, has been promoted as he concurrently assumes the position of State Councilor.

The National People's Congress (NPC) of China held its 5th plenary session on the 12th at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and approved the agenda to appoint Minister Qin and others as State Councilors. Out of 2,946 NPC delegates who participated in the vote, 2,944 voted in favor and 2 against, resulting in his appointment as State Councilor.

Qin Gang, Chinese Foreign Minister
Photo by Yonhap News

Qin Gang, who became Foreign Minister on December 30 last year, was concurrently appointed as State Councilor within three months, which is considered a rapid promotion. His predecessor Wang Yi, a member of the Central Political Bureau, became Foreign Minister in 2013 and only assumed the concurrent role of State Councilor five years later. State Councilors belong to the highest leadership of the State Council, along with Premier Li Qiang and four Vice Premiers. There are only five such positions in all of China.

Qin Gang is a representative figure of China's "wolf warrior diplomacy," which firmly pursues national interests. On the 7th, after his appointment as Foreign Minister, Qin met with domestic and foreign journalists for the first time and made pointed remarks targeting the United States, saying, "No one should underestimate the determination of the Chinese government and the Chinese people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Immediately after his appointment as Foreign Minister in January, when South Korea and Japan strengthened quarantine measures for arrivals from China, leading China to suspend visa issuance, Qin took a tough stance, stating, "The measures taken by Japan and South Korea regarding Chinese citizens' tourism to Japan and South Korea are discriminatory, unscientific, and excessive. China has reasons to respond."

With Qin Gang concurrently serving as State Councilor, it is anticipated that if conflicts arise between China and South Korea, he will adopt a tougher stance than his predecessor Wang Yi, who was a member of the Central Political Bureau.

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