China appointed its ambassador to the United States, Chen Gang, as foreign minister on Friday, according to Chinese state television, and Chen, known for his criticism of the West, is replacing Wang Yi, who has been the face of Chinese diplomacy since 2013. The new minister, 56, takes over as ambassador to Washington since 2021 and seeks to get bilateral relations with the United States “on the right track.”
But the official, originally from Tianjin, in the north, has earned himself a reputation as a “war wolf,” a nickname given to Chinese diplomats who react harshly to Western activities they see as hostile to Beijing.
Chen’s personality is similar to Le Chay, the Chinese ambassador to Paris, whose many undiplomatic statements led to his being summoned to the French Foreign Ministry.
In 2020, Chen Gang believed that the deterioration of China’s image in recent years to unprecedented levels in the West is due to the fact that Europeans and Americans, especially their media, will never accept the Chinese political system and the country’s economic growth.
The diplomat was a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry for many years and also accompanied President Xi Jinping during his duties as protocol official until 2018. Chen Gang also served as Vice Foreign Minister between 2018 and 2021.
