Chinese diplomat and politician (1930–2022)
Qi Huaiyuan (Chinese: 齐怀远; 6 January 1930[1][2] – 14 January 2022) was a Chinese diplomat and politician who served as director of Office of Foreign Affairs under the State Council [zh] from 1991 to 1994. Prior to that, he was assistant foreign minister in 1984 and vice foreign minister in 1986 and before that, a spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs between 1983 and 1984.
He was a member of the Standing Committee of the 9th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.[3] He was an alternate member of the 13th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and a member of the 14th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.[3]
Biography
Qi was born Xia Xiong in Shanghai, on 6 January 1930, while his ancestral home was in Ezhou, Hubei.[3][4] In 1947, he entered Tsinghua University, majoring in the Department of Mechanics.[3] One year later, he went on to attend North China Renmin University, where he joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in November.[3][4] In 1950, he graduated from Harbin Foreign Language School (now Heilongjiang University).[3]
He joined the Foreign Service in 1950 and had served primarily in the German Democratic Republic.[3][4] During the Cultural Revolution in 1969, he was sent to the May Seventh Cadre Schools to do farm works.[4] He was reinstated in 1971 and worked in the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.[4] He was counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in the German Democratic Republic in 1974, and held that office until January 1983.[3][4] In January 1983, he was chosen as director of the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in addition to serving as a spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[3][4] He moved up the ranks to become assistant foreign minister in August 1984 and vice foreign minister in March 1986.[3][4] In August 1991, he was appointed director of Office of Foreign Affairs under the State Council [zh], a post he kept until November 1994.[3][4] He also served as president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries from May 1994 to October 2000.[3][4][5] He retired in January 2004.
On 14 January 2022, he died from an illness in Beijing, at the age of 92.[4]
References