View source for Qian Qichen

{{Short description|Chinese diplomat}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2012}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Qian Qichen
| image               = Qian Qichen.jpg
| caption             = Qian in 1997
| office              = [[Vice Premier of China]]
| term_start          = 25 March 1993
| term_end            = 17 March 2003
| premier             = [[Li Peng]]<br />[[Zhu Rongji]]
| office2             = 7th [[Minister of Foreign Affairs (China)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]]
| term_start2         = 12 April 1988
| term_end2           = 18 March 1998
| predecessor2        = [[Wu Xueqian]]
| premier2            = [[Li Peng]]
| successor2          = [[Tang Jiaxuan]]
| native_name         = {{nobold|钱其琛}}
| native_name_lang    = zh-cn
| signature           = 
| party               = [[Chinese Communist Party]] (joined in 1942)
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1928|1|5|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[British concession of Tianjin|British Tianjin]]
| death_date          = {{death date and age|2017|5|9|1928|1|5|df=y}}
| death_place         = [[Beijing]], [[People's Republic of China]]
| spouse              = Zhou Hanqiong (周寒琼)
| children            = 2
| module              = {{Infobox Chinese
| child               = yes
| s                   = 钱其琛
| t                   = 錢其琛
| p                   = Qián Qíchēn
| w                   = Ch'ien Ch'i-ch'en
}}}}
{{family name hatnote|[[Qian (surname)|Qian]]|lang=Chinese}}
'''Qian Qichen''' ({{zh|c=钱其琛|p=Qián Qíchēn}}; 5 January  1928 – 9 May 2017) was a Chinese diplomat and politician. He served as [[Chinese Communist Party]] (CCP) [[Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party|Politburo member]] from 1992 to 2002, [[China]]'s [[Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China|Foreign Minister]] from April 1988 to March 1998, and as [[Vice Premier of China|Vice Premier]] from March 1993 to March 2003. Since then, no other diplomat-turned-politician has attained such a lofty status in China's political hierarchy.<ref>{{cite web|title=Former Chinese vice-premier Qian Qichen dies, aged 90|url=http://www.todayonline.com/world/former-chinese-vice-premier-qian-qichen-dies-aged-90|website=Today Online|access-date=11 May 2017}}</ref> Qian played a critical role in shaping China's [[Foreign policy of China|foreign policy]] during [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party|CCP general secretary]] [[Jiang Zemin]]'s administration, and was a key player handling the return to Chinese sovereignty of [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]]. He was in charge of border negotiations with the [[Soviet Union]] in the 1980s, resulting in a successful settlement of the [[China–Russia border|border dispute]] and the thawing of the relations between China and Russia. He was also instrumental in handling China's normalization of relations with the West in the difficult period after the [[Tiananmen Square protests of 1989]].

==Life and career==
Qian Qichen hailed from a prominent scholarly family from Waigang ({{lang|zh|外冈}}), [[Jiading District|Jiading]], [[Jiangsu]] province (now in [[Shanghai]]). He was a descendant of the celebrated [[Qing dynasty]] historian [[Qian Daxin]].<ref name=thepaper>{{cite news |url=http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1682475 |title=上海嘉定走出的外交家钱其琛 |work=The Paper |date=10 May 2017 |language=zh}}</ref> He was born in [[Tianjin]] on 5 January 1928.<ref name=nikkei/><ref name=people>{{Cite web|url=http://cpc.people.com.cn/daohang/n/2013/0226/c357263-20607337.html |title=钱其琛 |work=People's Daily |language=zh |access-date=2017-05-10}}</ref>

From 1942 to 1945, Qian attended the [[Utopia University High School]] in Shanghai. He secretly joined the [[Chinese Communist Party]] in 1942 at the age of 14. From 1945 to 1949 he worked at the ''[[Ta Kung Pao]]'' newspaper. After the [[establishment of the People's Republic of China]] in 1949, he was member of the Party Committee and Secretary of the [[Communist Youth League of China|Communist Youth League]] Committees of the [[Xuhui District|Xuhui]], [[Changning District|Changning]], and [[Yangpu District|Yangpu]] districts of Shanghai.<ref name=people/>

Qian left for the [[Soviet Union]] and studied at the [[Komsomol]] Central School in [[Moscow]] from 1954 to 1955. From 1955 to 1963, he worked as a diplomat in Moscow.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Buckley|first1=Chris|title=Qian Qichen, Pragmatic Chinese Envoy, Dies at 89|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/11/world/asia/qian-qichen-dead-china-foreign-minister.html|access-date=15 May 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=12 May 2017|page=B14}}</ref> He  successively served as Second Secretary in the Chinese Embassy, Director of Department of Overseas Chinese Students and Deputy Director General of the Foreign Department of the Ministry of Higher Education, and Counsellor in the Chinese Embassy.<ref name=people/><ref name="fmprc">{{Cite web|url=http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/ziliao_665539/wjrw_665549/3606_665551/t44162.shtml|title=Qian Qichen|publisher=Foreign Ministry of China |access-date=10 May 2017}}</ref>

During the [[Cultural Revolution]], Qian was persecuted and sent to perform hard labour at a [[May Seventh Cadre School]] from 1966 to 1972. After his political rehabilitation, he served as Ambassador to [[Guinea]] (1974–76) and concurrently Ambassador to [[Guinea-Bissau]] (1974–75). He went to work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1977 and was vice-minister of foreign affairs from 1982 to 1988 and minister from 1988 to 1998. He was [[Vice Premier of China|Vice Premier]] of the [[State Council of the People's Republic of China|State Council]], under Premiers [[Li Peng]] and [[Zhu Rongji]], from 1993 until his retirement in 2003.<ref name="people" /><ref name="fmprc"/><ref>{{Cite book|title=Encyclopedia of China, Vol. 17 (2nd edition, 中国大百科全书（第二版）第17册)|publisher=Encyclopedia of China Publishing House|year=2009|isbn=978-7-500-07958-3|pages=588|language=zh}}</ref>

While serving as Director of the Information Department of the Foreign Ministry from 1977 to 1982, he proposed establishing a spokesperson system and became the first spokesperson of the Ministry.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://en.people.cn/data/people/qianqichen.shtml|title=Qian Qichen|website=People's Daily}}</ref>
[[File:Donald Rumsfeld welcomes Vice Premier Qian Qichen as he arrives at the Pentagon on March 22, 2001.jpg|left|thumb|Donald Rumsfeld welcomes Vice Premier Qian Qichen as he arrives at the Pentagon on March 22, 2001]]
Qian became Foreign Minister in April 1988.<ref name=":05" /> As Foreign Minister, Qian played a critical role in shaping China's foreign policy during CCP general secretary [[Jiang Zemin]]'s administration,<ref name="nikkei">{{cite news |url=http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/Policy-Politics/Former-Chinese-Vice-Premier-Qian-Qichen-dies-at-89-Xinhua |title=Former Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen dies at 89: Xinhua |date=11 May 2017 |work=Nikkei |access-date=May 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511060058/http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/Policy-Politics/Former-Chinese-Vice-Premier-Qian-Qichen-dies-at-89-Xinhua |archive-date=May 11, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and was a key player handling the return to Chinese sovereignty of [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]].<ref name="scmp">{{cite news |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2093817/chinas-outstanding-former-top-diplomat-qian-qichen-dies |title=China's 'outstanding' former top diplomat Qian Qichen dies, aged 89 |date=10 May 2017 |work=South China Morning Post}}</ref> He was in charge of border negotiations with the Soviet Union in the 1980s, which resulted in a successful settlement of the border dispute and the thawing of the bilateral relations between China and Russia.<ref name="nikkei" /> 

He was also instrumental in handling China's normalization of relations with the West in the difficult period after the [[Tiananmen Square protests of 1989]];<ref name="scmp" /> his meeting with then British Foreign Secretary [[John Major]] in July 1989 was the first such contact.<ref>{{cite book|author=John Major|title=John Major: The Autobiography|url=https://archive.org/details/johnmajor00john|url-access=registration|publisher=Harper Collins|year=1999|pages=[https://archive.org/details/johnmajor00john/page/118 118]–20|isbn=9780002570046}}</ref> In October 1989, Qian engaged in low-profile outreach when he attended the annual UN General Assembly in New York, seeking to reassure his listeners that China would proceed with reform.<ref name=":05">{{Cite book |last=Lampton |first=David M. |title=Living U.S.-China Relations: From Cold War to Cold War |date=2024 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |isbn=978-1-5381-8725-8 |location=Lanham, MD |pages=184 |author-link=David M. Lampton}}</ref>

He was the first Chinese diplomat to attend an [[ASEAN]] event, going to the 1991 ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in [[Malaysia]]. This marked the first time China formally acknowledged ASEAN as an institution and laid the groundwork for future ASEAN-China cooperation, like the [[ASEAN+3]] mechanism and the [[ASEAN-China Free Trade Area]] (ACFTA).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20111119194547/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-11/15/c_131248640.htm Full Text: China-ASEAN Cooperation: 1991–2011]</ref>

In 1992, he was tasked with traveling to [[Pyongyang]], [[North Korea]] to inform [[Kim Il Sung]] that China would be [[China–South Korea relations|establishing formal diplomatic relations]] with [[South Korea]].<ref name="SCMP" /> In 1995, Qian proposed a [[Qian's Seven Points|seven point policy]] in regards to [[Hong Kong–Taiwan relations|Hong Kong's relations with Taiwan]] after its [[Handover of Hong Kong|handover to China]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=1996-10-14 |title=HK-Taiwan business ties placed in spotlight |url=https://www.scmp.com/article/177884/hk-taiwan-business-ties-placed-spotlight |access-date=2025-07-02 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}}</ref>

Qian was a member of the 12th to 15th [[Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party|CCP Central Committee]]. He was a member of the 14th and 15th [[Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party|CCP Politburo]].<ref name=people/>

In November 2005, Qian was awarded the [[Order of the Polar Star (Mongolia)|Order of the Polar Star]], the highest civilian award of [[Mongolia]], for his contributions to [[China–Mongolia relations]].<ref name=people/>

==Personal life==
Qian was fluent in Russian and English, and understood some French.<ref name=people/> He was married to Zhou Hanqiong ({{lang|zh|周寒琼}}). They had a son and a daughter.<ref name=people/> He published a memoir in 2004, entitled ''Ten Episodes in China's Diplomacy'' (''{{lang|zh|外交十记}}'').<ref name="SCMP" >{{cite news |work=[[South China Morning Post]]|title=When late diplomat Qian Qichen had to give North Korea's leader some very bad news |date=May 12, 2017 |access-date=May 12, 2017 |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2094007/when-late-diplomat-qian-qichen-had-give-north-koreas |first=Shi |last=Jiangtao |archive-date=May 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170512164108/http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2094007/when-late-diplomat-qian-qichen-had-give-north-koreas}}</ref>

==Death==
Qian died of illness on 9 May 2017 in Beijing, at the age of 89. His funeral and subsequent cremation at [[Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery]] was attended by [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party|CCP General Secretary]] [[Xi Jinping]], former CCP General Secretary [[Hu Jintao]], Premier [[Li Keqiang]], former Premier [[Li Peng]] and other [[Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party|CCP Politburo Standing Committee]] members including [[Zhang Dejiang]], [[Yu Zhengsheng]], [[Liu Yunshan]], [[Wang Qishan]] and [[Zhang Gaoli]], and [[Chief Executive of Hong Kong]] [[Leung Chun-ying]] and Hong Kong and [[Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office]] director [[Wang Guangya]]. Former CCP General Secretary [[Jiang Zemin]] did not attend Qian's funeral ceremony, but sent a wreath.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestandard.com.hk/sections-news-print/183058/Top-state-leaders-out-in-force-for-Qian-funeral|title=Top state leaders out in force for Qian funeral|first=Stella|last=Wong|date=19 May 2017|website=The Standard |access-date=22 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://en.people.cn/n3/2017/0518/c90000-9217530.html|title=Late former Vice Premier Qian Qichen cremated|first=|last=|date=18 May 2017|website=People's Daily |access-date=22 May 2022}}</ref><ref name=scmp/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/2017/05/10/former-chinese-foreign-minister-qian-dies-aged-89/|title=Former Chinese foreign minister Qian dies aged 89|date=10 May 2017|website=The Star Online |access-date=10 May 2017}}</ref>

He was officially eulogized as "an excellent Communist Party member, a time-tested and loyal communist soldier, a proletarian revolutionist, and an outstanding diplomat."<ref name=scmp/>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
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{{succession box | before = [[Wu Xueqian]] | title = [[Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China]] | years = 1988–1998 | after = [[Tang Jiaxuan]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{7th State Council of China}}
{{8th State Council of China}}
{{9th State Council of China}}
{{15th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party}}
{{14th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party}}
{{Vice Premiers of the People's Republic of China}}
{{State councillors}}
{{Foreign Ministers of the People's Republic of China}}
{{Spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qian, Qichen}}
[[Category:Ministers of foreign affairs (China)]]
[[Category:Members of the Preparatory Committee for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region]]
[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:2017 deaths]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of China to Guinea]]
[[Category:Chinese Communist Party politicians from Shanghai]]
[[Category:People's Republic of China politicians from Shanghai]]
[[Category:Spokespersons of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China]]
[[Category:20th-century Chinese politicians]]
[[Category:Members of the 15th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party]]
[[Category:Members of the 14th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party]]
[[Category:State councillors of China]]
[[Category:Burials at Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery]]
[[Category:Victims of the Cultural Revolution]]