Opinion | Is Qin Gang at the top of the Pecking order in the emergence of China's new generation of envoys
By Augustus K. Yeung
Introduction
With Qin Gang being newly appointed as the nation's ambassador to Washington, his style of diplomatic flair is eye-catching or raising-eyebrows: He is perceived as being proactive, positive and responsive. Does he represent a new breed of Chinese diplomats on the stage in Washington? Or is he just a rare diplomatic bird on the perch, pushing for bilateral peace and prosperity?
The personnel changes give China-watchers the general impression that younger diplomats are more confident about the nation, but some people fear that "they may lack caution of old guard," some analysts say.
For Beijing's diplomats, a change at the top in the Washington embassy marks a generational transition ahead of a leadership shake-up expected next year. This is a logical possibility.
The personnel changes are key to whether the rise of China is to continue uninterrupted in the face of headwinds in its relationship with the United States.
A Few Words about the Old Guards
"Mr. Cui Tiankai, China's former ambassador to the US and many other veterans are retiring in the coming months. And more than the gap in age – 13 years – and seniority in service, what really sets Cui and his successor Qin Gang apart is how differently they came of age."
"Cui, who stepped down in June at 68 after an eventful eight-year stint in Washington, is seen as part of the Cultural Revolution generation – roughly those over the retirement age of 65.
"He often talks about those chaotic years during the era of late leader Mao Zedong when he, like millions of others, was banished to the countryside before finishing secondary school, and how China should learn from the historic blunder.
How About the Other People's Opinion?
"While his contemporaries—including President Xi Jinping and foreign policy chiefs Yang Jiechi and Wang Yi—may have different ways of construing that part of their lives and its legacy, their shared trauma during formative years has left a permanent mark."
"That's how I got to know China's rural area and the problem of poverty. That's how I got to know what the country really needed," Cui told former US Treasury chief Mr. Paulson last year.
"So I think people in my generation were very lucky that we spent most of our careers in the decades of reform and opening up."
It Was a Different Story for Qin Gang
It was a different story for Qin, 55 and other rising diplomats, who were mostly born after 1963 and got to complete their formal education without interruption.
"It was a life changing experience for those who were born before and during the 1950s, because they had to rise from the setbacks and try to make up for lost time," said Gu Su, a political scientist at Nanjing University.
Their successors born in the 1960s, such as foreign vice-ministers Le Yucheng and Ma Zhaoxu, largely escaped the scarring of the Cultural Revolution, and emerged amid reform and opening up.
"Formative experience may have had some major implications for their personal trajectories, how they choose to advance their careers, and the way they perceive the country and the world," Gu said.
Difference between the Two Generations of Diplomats
The rise of the new generation was reflected in changes in diplomatic demeanor, said Gal Luft of the Washington-based Institute for the Analysis of Global Security.
"New Diplomats are less restrained and more media savvy. They are less confined to talking points and more to the art of sound bites and tweets. They may be a part of the post-Cultural Revolution cohort, but they are not less a part of the post-unipolar moment," Luft said.
"They have seen more US defeats and blunders than victories and remarkable achievements. For them, America is an old lion whose roar is worse than his bite."
Qin and his peers usually appear more confident than their predecessors, thanks to the fact that they have mainly belonged to an ever-rising China where they were able to pursue tertiary education and personal careers of their own choosing.
More New Diplomats Will Emerge
Apart from Cui, Xi's top foreign policy aide Yang, 71, and Foreign Minister Wang, 67, are also expected to be replaced at the Communist Party's five-yearly national congress next year, to succeed Yang on the Politburo.
Beijing has moved in recent months to reshuffle the ageing senior diplomatic line-up, making room for some of the younger talent to advance.
It has promoted many of those in their 50s—such as Xie Feng, 57, a deputy minister responsible for US affairs, Deng Li, 56, assistant minister for the Middle East and African Affairs, and Li's successor Zhang Hanhui, 57.
A batch of even younger diplomats, born in the 1970s, has also emerged, such as foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, Jing Quan, deputy head of the department of North American and Oceanian affairs, and the Asian Department, Liu Jinsong.
What Do Experts Say About this Emergence?
Pang Zhongying, an international affairs specialist at Ocean University of China, warned of a possible knowledge gap between the rising diplomats and their other colleagues.
"We have yet to see those younger diplomats rise to real challenges that will shape China's relations with the world. They still need to prove themselves and demonstrate their competence in the new jobs," he said.
Sourabh Gupta a fellow at the Institute for China-America Studies in Washington, warned of a tendency among younger officials to exaggerate China's strength.
"My worry is … with their ability – and inability – to speak truth to power, or what passes for that in the Chinese political system. At a time of centralization within the party-state, and within the party itself, this lack of top-flight standing – and voice –of senior diplomats might in fact be their biggest weakness," he said. ("New generation of envoys came up in China at high tide." South China Morning Post. Sunday, August 8, 2021.)
Conclusion
Whatever opinions of the experts and foreign critics may have, this generation of China's emerging diplomats, especially Qin Gang warrants special watching in the crucial Washington-Beijing bilateral relations.
In his well-known text, Art of War, Sun Tzu says, "Being able to humble the opponent--without having to wage war--makes the best soldiers." Will China's new generation of diplomats, as soldiers without having to wage war, live up to China's ancient sage's great expectation?
The author is a freelance writer; formerly Adjunct Lecturer, taught MBA Philosophy of Management, and International Strategy, and online columnist of 3-D Corner (HKU SPACE), University of Hong Kong.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
Read more articles by Augustus K. Yeung:
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