State radio reported Friday that China has appointed President Xi Jinping’s trusted aide Qin Gang as its new foreign minister.
Qin, 56, and currently China’s ambassador to the United States, replaces Wang Yi, who has been foreign minister for the past decade. Wang, 69, was promoted to the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party in October and is expected to play a greater role in foreign policy.
A rising star in the foreign ministry, Qin rose through various positions including ministry spokesman and postings at the Chinese embassy in Britain.
He served as Xi’s chief protocol officer between 2014 and 2018.
Following his appointment, Qin will return to Beijing from Washington after 17 months as China’s 11th ambassador to the United States.
In an essay published this week in the US bimonthly magazine The National Interest, Qin gave an overview of China’s position on foreign policy and reiterated that Sino-US relations are not a zero-sum game.