China names former South Africa envoy Chen Xiaodong as new foreign vice-minister

Chen returned to Beijing this week after three years in the African nation he called his ‘second home’
The 58-year-old is also a former ambassador to Singapore and served as assistant foreign minister

Diplomacy

Shi Jiangtao

Published: 8:00pm, 14 Mar 2024

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China’s former top envoy to South Africa and Singapore Chen Xiaodong has been named as a foreign vice-minister, as Beijing continues to reshuffle its diplomatic team while external challenges mount.

The appointment of Chen – who just returned to Beijing this week after a three-year stint in the African nation – was announced on Thursday.

It comes as Beijing is trying to shore up ties with neighbouring countries and other emerging economies amid a geopolitical and ideological feud with the US-led West.

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During a farewell meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa last week, Chen hailed the “bond of camaraderie plus brotherhood” between the two countries, claiming that bilateral ties had entered a “golden era” under his watch after President Xi Jinping’s state visit last year.

Xi also attended the Brics summit during his visit to South Africa – one of the Chinese leader’s four trips abroad last year and seen as a highlight of Chen’s time as ambassador.

At a time when China’s ties with Russia are under intense scrutiny following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, and relations with India have faltered over border disputes and geopolitical jostling, Xi said China’s ties with South Africa would inject greater stability into a “turbulent world”.

Chen, 58, joined the foreign service in 1987 after graduating with a major in Arabic from Beijing International Studies University, the alma mater of China’s top diplomat Wang Yi.

He spent most of his early career rising through the diplomatic ranks with a focus on Middle Eastern countries, according to the foreign ministry website.

His career took off after he became China’s ambassador to Iraq in 2006. Two years later he was posted to London where he served as minister – the second-ranking officer – in the Chinese mission. He became head of the foreign ministry’s West Asian and North African affairs unit in 2010.

Chen was appointed ambassador to Singapore in 2015. He was promoted to assistant foreign minister two years later, responsible for China’s ties with Africa, West Asia and North Africa.

He took up the post in Pretoria in September 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the embassy’s farewell reception last week, Chen described South Africa as his “second home” and said he was proud China has been its top trading partner for the past 15 years.

It remains unclear who will replace Chen as Beijing’s next envoy to South Africa.

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Chen will work alongside Deng Li, 58, a French-speaking diplomat who replaced Chen as assistant foreign minister in 2020. Deng was elevated to foreign vice-minister the following year, in charge of European and African affairs. He is rumoured to be a candidate to become China’s next ambassador to France.

As part of a generational shake-up of China’s diplomatic establishment, Beijing named Miao Deyu, 52 – who had been head of the foreign ministry’s policy planning department – as assistant foreign minister in November.

Xu Feihong was removed as assistant foreign minister for administrative and financial affairs in December. Xu’s next move has yet to be announced, but there is speculation that the 59-year-old former ambassador to Afghanistan and Romania could be appointed as the new envoy to India – a position that has been vacant for more than 16 months.

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