In a session convened on Tuesday, China’s top legislature voted to appoint Wang Yi as the new foreign minister and Pan Gongsheng as the central bank governor. This decision was adopted at the fourth session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC).
As part of the appointments, Qin Gang was removed from his post as the concurrently held foreign minister, and Yi Gang was removed from his position as the governor of the People’s Bank of China. President Xi Jinping signed a presidential order to effectuate these decisions.
During the session, a draft amendment to the Criminal Law was also reviewed, focusing on better implementation of the Party Central Committee’s principles and policies regarding the fight against corruption and the protection of private enterprises in accordance with the law. The amendment refines stipulations concerning the crime of offering bribes and corruption conducted by private enterprise personnel.
Zhao Leji, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presided over the session, which was followed by a meeting of the Council of Chairpersons of the NPC Standing Committee.
Wang Yi, a 70-year-old veteran diplomat, has an extensive career in the foreign ministry, serving as the Chinese ambassador to Japan from 2004 to 2007. He held various other positions, including director of the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and minister of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council from 2008 to 2013. From 2013 to 2018, Wang served as the minister and deputy secretary of the CPC Committee of the foreign ministry. In 2018, he became the State Councilor, foreign minister, and member of the Leading CPC Members Group of the State Council before Qin Gang took up the position of foreign minister in 2022.
Qin Gang had previously been promoted to vice minister of the Foreign Ministry in 2018 and later became the Chinese ambassador to the US in 2021. He was appointed as Chinese foreign minister on December 30, 2022, according to a decision made by the 13th National People’s Congress Standing Committee.