“I am 75 years old and have extended my service. I just want to have time to read books that I wanted to read but didn’t have time to read and do things that I wanted to do but didn’t have time to do before.” In the preface of the book “Ten records of diplomacy” published in 2003, Qian Qichen wrote.
Qian Qichen, the 90-year-old former vice premier of the State Council, left.
Yesterday, according to Xinhua News Agency, at 22:06 on May 9, the outstanding leader of China’s diplomatic front, member of the Political Bureau of the 14th and 15th CPC Central Committee, former state councilor and former vice premier of the State Council, Comrade Qian Qichen, he died of illness in Beijing at the age of 90.
The news soon spread all over the country. Li Zhaoxing, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, spoke at a low speed during an interview with “political affairs” (WeChat ID:gcxxjgzh). He also rushed to Beijing hospital to visit Qian Qichen a week ago. At that time, Qian Lao was in critical condition, but he was rescued from life danger. Unexpectedly, a few days later, the old man died.
Li Zhaoxing revealed that Qian Qichen spent the last few years of his life in the hospital. “When I saw him seven or eight times at last, he couldn’t speak or know anyone. Every time I saw him, I left sadly.”
Several former officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Li Zhaoxing, commented that Qian Qian Qian was approachable, calm and calm when things happened, and did things seriously and carefully, making important contributions to many diplomatic matters.
Qian Qichen once summarized the complicated diplomacy as two major events, the first is for mankind to seek peace and maintain peace; The second is to make friends with the development of the motherland and make partners who treat me equally.
The first spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Qian Qichen was born in January, 1928, from Jiading, Shanghai. In 1942, Qian Qichen joined the party and joined the work. Later, he served as a staff member of Shanghai Ta Kung Pao and also served as a member of the district committee of Shanghai underground party middle school. After the founding of New China, Qian Qichen successively served as the secretary of Shanghai Xuhui, Changning and Yangpu District Committee of the Communist Youth League, and then transferred to the Institute of the Central Office of the Communist Youth League.
In 1954, he went to the Soviet Union to study in China Central College for youth leagues, and then served as the second secretary of the Soviet Embassy. During his stay in the Soviet Union, Qian Qichen trained skilled Russian. He once recalled in the ten records of diplomacy, “I was 26 years old that year. I was a father at the beginning and my daughter was born only for more than 20 days.”
In 1964, he was transferred to the director of the department of international students of the Ministry of Higher Education. During the “cultural revolution”, he was impacted and handed down to “five or seven” schools to work. In 1972, he was again stationed in the Soviet Union as counsellor of the embassy in the Soviet Union. After that, after the work of ambassador to Guinea, he returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as director of the information department.
In the post of director of the Information Department, Qian Qichen’s “three sentences” impressed people deeply.
According to Xinhua News Agency, in March 1982, Soviet leader Brezhnev delivered a speech in Tashkent, expressing his willingness to improve Sino-Soviet relations. Deng Xiaoping instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to respond immediately.
In front of the lobby of the main building of the East Fourth site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qian Qichen said to 70 or 80 Chinese and foreign journalists: “We have noticed the speech on Sino-Soviet relations delivered by chairman Brezhnev of the Soviet Union in Tashkent on March 24. We firmly reject the attack on China in our speech. In Sino-Soviet relations and international affairs, we attach importance to the practical actions of the Soviet Union.”
The three sentences are cautious and implicit, but contain the information that China’s relations with the Soviet Union may have a major turning point, which shocked the world public opinion. After the statement was finished, no questions were asked. After the press conference, “China’s press spokesman” entered the media view for the first time.
“At that time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not have a formal press conference system. I am still in the post of director of the information department and am considering setting up a press spokesman. This has become an opportunity to establish a spokesman system immediately.” Qian Qichen recalled in the ten records of diplomacy.
Recalling the situation at that time, Li Zhaoxing, who attended the press conference, said that this was because Sino-Soviet relations had not been normalized at that time, “I translated three sentences to foreign journalists for him, which will never be forgotten”.
Li Zhaoxing told “political affairs” (WeChat ID:gcxxjgzh) that Qian Qian Qian worked very hard and gave him the manuscript he reported to him. “He didn’t change very much and had very strict requirements.”
After 1982, Qian Qichen served as Vice Minister, Minister and State Councilor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since 1992, he has served as a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Vice Premier of the State Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
When Qian Qichen was the foreign minister, he often advised diplomats to say as little as possible “no comment” when answering questions. He thought this sentence could not solve the problem at all.
Visit to North Korea to promote the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea
Last night, Li Zhaoxing sat in front of the TV and watched the news broadcast. When he heard the news of Qian Qichen’s death, when he saw the news that Xi Jinping sent a message to Wen Jinyin, the president-elect of South Korea, he couldn’t help thinking of Qian Qichen’s past in promoting the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea, which made him feel deeply.
Qian Qichen once recalled the beginning and end of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea in the ten records of diplomacy. He wrote that the first time I went to Seoul was in November 1991, where I attended the third ministerial conference of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Organization. The appearance of Chinese foreign minister in Seoul was an unprecedented event at that time. At that time, China and South Korea had no diplomatic relations, let alone flights and planes.
At that time, South Korean president Lu Taiyu met Qian Qichen alone. Lu Taiyu said that although South Korea has established diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries, the relationship between South Korea and China should be closer. For the sake of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and peace and development in the Asia-Pacific region, South Korea sincerely hopes to improve relations with China and establish diplomatic relations at an early date.
Qian Qichen said that we hope that the North and the south of the Korean Peninsula can coexist peacefully and strengthen exchanges. The trade relationship between China and South Korea has developed greatly in recent years. We hope that both sides will make joint efforts to make it develop better. He did not directly answer Lu Taiyu’s question of establishing diplomatic relations.
According to the records of “Ten records of diplomacy”, the next day, all South Korean newspapers published large photos of Lu Taiyu shaking hands with Qian Qichen on the front page. The media did not report on the content of the conversation, but generally commented that this was the “turning point” of Sino-Korean relations “.
Zhang Tingyan, China’s first ambassador to South Korea, participated in the visit. He said that China and South Korea had not established diplomatic relations at that time, and the arrival of Chinese foreign minister attracted special attention from the outside world. The separate meeting of the South Korean president brought unexpected gains, and Qian Qichen also made a very comfortable response.
Zhang Tingyan remembered that after this meeting, China began to consider the issue of establishing diplomatic relations between China and South Korea. In May 1992, China and South Korea began negotiations on establishing diplomatic relations. On August 24 of the same year, China and South Korea announced the formal establishment of diplomatic relations.
Qian Qichen wrote in his book that if China wants to establish diplomatic relations with South Korea, the difficulty lies not in bilateral relations, but in the relationship between China and North Korea, that is, how to give up North Korea with traditional friendship with China, can gradually understand and accept this kind of foreign policy adjustment.
In November 1988, when North Korean Foreign Minister Kim Yong-Nan visited China, Qian Qichen specifically talked with him about the trade relations between China and South Korea. Later, the top leaders of both sides exchanged opinions several times. Kim Il Sung fully understood China’s position and agreed.
In July 1992, Qian Qichen rushed to North Korea and met Kim Il Sung in a villa. He conveyed the message of General Secretary Jiang Zemin: We think the time is ripe for China to negotiate the establishment of diplomatic relations with South Korea. Our consideration and decision will receive your understanding and support.
In this regard, Kim Il Sung expressed his understanding.
At 9:00 am on August 24, 1992, Qian Qichen and South Korean Foreign Minister Li Xiangyu officially signed the communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea at Fangfei Garden, Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.
Approachable old money”
“I am 75 years old and have extended my service. I just want to have time to read books that I wanted to read but didn’t have time to read and do things that I wanted to do but didn’t have time to do before.” In the preface of the book “Ten records of diplomacy” published in 2003, Qian Qichen wrote.
After retreating from the position of national leader, Qian Qichen rarely appeared in public view. This memoir, written by himself, became a window for the outside world to know him.
However, people seldom know what this foreign front leader looks like in his life. Many foreign ministry officials told “political affairs” (WeChat ID:gcxxjgzh) that Qian Qian Qian was approachable and very careful in his work.
Li Zhaoxing said that Qian Qichen worked very hard and had never heard of his vacation.
Qian Qichen’s seriousness and responsibility in his work also impressed many people.
Xu xucong, former Chinese ambassador to Cuba, once visited Latin America with Qian Qichen. He remembered that once they went to Bolivia together. Due to the high altitude of the local area, Qian Qian Qian had altitude sickness and his heart beat more than 120 times per minute, but he still insisted on participating in all the work arrangements.
“In my impression, he did his work very carefully and carefully.” Xu xucong said.
Lu Peixin, the former director of the protocol department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also had contacts with Qian Qichen. He said that Qian Qichen gave him the biggest impression that he was very calm. Moreover, it is relatively calm and the conversation is slow, but every sentence is very important.
Li Zhaoxing remembered that when he first met Qian Qichen, he once made a joke. At that time, he had just returned from Africa and did not know the domestic situation. When meeting Qian Qichen, then director of the information department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in an office, he greeted and said, director Qian is good.
As a result, the room was full of laughter. People here laughed and said that it was the first time I heard someone in the ministry called director Qian. Li did not know that people in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at that time called Qian Qian Lao Qian until he became a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee.
After Qian Qichen left. On one occasion, Li Zhaoxing went to see him and made sorrow about how to call him. He said, at that time, the guard asked him, “Are you here to see Vice Premier Qian?”
Li Zhaoxing learned the name of the guard and said “Vice Premier Qian is good” after seeing Qian Qichen “. At that time, Li Zhaoxing was already over sixty years old. Qian Qichen, who was more than ten years older than him, smiled and said, “Xiao Li, why haven’t you seen him for a year or two? The level has dropped so much, and the four words are three wrong? I am not the vice premier, but it is right to return my surname to Qian.”
Li Zhaoxing said that this was the first time Qian Qichen joked with him and the last time.
“Political Affairs” (WeChat ID:gcxxjgzh) writing/Beijing News reporter Jia Shiyu intern Yan Yun proofreading: Guo Liqin
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“I am 75 years old and have extended my service. I just want to have time to read books that I wanted to read but didn’t have time to read before, do something you wanted to do before but didn’t have time to do.” In the preface of the book “Ten records of diplomacy” published in 2003, Qian Qichen wrote. 90