China Dismisses Vice Minister for Korean Peninsula Affairs

The Chinese government has dismissed a vice minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who had been responsible for Asian diplomacy, including Korean Peninsula affairs.

Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On April 14, the State Council of China announced personnel changes for national civil servants, including the dismissal of Sun Weidong, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Sun Weidong previously held positions in the Asian Affairs Department and the Policy Planning Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After serving as ambassador to Pakistan and ambassador to India, he was promoted to vice minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2022.

He also worked at the embassies in Malaysia and India. As deputy director-general of the Asian Affairs Department and head of the Policy Planning Department, he oversaw overall Asian diplomacy, including matters related to the Korean Peninsula. He is also known to have played a role on working-level teams managing North Korea’s nuclear issue and affairs on the Korean Peninsula.

In September last year, when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited China, Sun greeted him at Beijing Railway Station together with Cai Qi, Secretary of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Wang Yi, Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission. In March this year, he co-chaired a Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) meeting in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, with the Philippine delegation to discuss South China Sea issues.

On the same day, the State Council also dismissed An Lusheng, Deputy Director of the National Railway Administration, and appointed Zhao Wenfang as his successor.

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