According to the office, the diplomatic chief made such an attempt during a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to say goodbye after completing his mission as ambassador to Washington.
Recalling his various meetings with Blinken, Qin described them as frank, thorough and constructive, assuring that he intends to maintain close communication now under his leadership as foreign minister.
The parties also reviewed the progress of Beijing-Washington ties, and the Chinese minister insisted on the need to join forces to improve them.
On December 30, China announced the appointment of Qin Gang as head of the foreign department, replacing Wang Yi, who had held the position since 2013 and moved to the Communist Party’s Politburo.
Born in Tianjin in 1966, Qin took office as Ambassador to the United States in 2021 and has been associated with diplomacy through various positions at the State Department and his country’s foreign missions since 1988.
From 2018 until his trip to Washington, he was one of the Asian giant’s deputy foreign ministers.
jf/ymr