MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th July, 2021) China's new ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, has arrived in Washington to take up his duties, the Chinese embassy said in a press release.
Qin's appointment comes after US Deputy State Secretary Wendy Sherman's visit to China, during which she raised the issues of human rights, cybersecurity, and regional security, as well as China's unwillingness to "cooperate with the World Health Organization" on the probe of the COVID-19 origins, in her talks with the US officials. This latest interaction highlighted the tensions in the US-Chinese relationship.
"Ambassador Qin Gang, the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the United States of America, arrived in the United States on July 28, 2021 to assume office," the embassy stated on Wednesday.
In his remarks to reporters, Qin pledged to bring the US-China relations back on track.
"I believe that the door of China-U.S. relations, which is already open, cannot be closed," the senior diplomat said.
The new ambassador is taking over from Cui Tiankai, who announced in June that, after eight years in office, he would shortly step down.
Qin, aged 55, who previously served as Vice Foreign Minister of China and has background in European affairs and protocol, has earned a reputation for sharp remarks in defense of China against Western criticism.
China-US relations have deteriorated during the Donald Trump presidency in the US, and Biden has committed to maintain pressure policy, stepping up sanctions against Beijing.
