China Appoints Wang Yi as Foreign Minister

BEIJING- (ST) -The Chinese Parliament announced on Saturday that diplomat Wang Yi was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The Chinese News agency (XINHUA) reported that Wang Yi, 59, is the successor of Yang Jiechi who became a new state councilor.

Yi, who has been working at the Chinese Foreign Ministry for more than 30 years, was tasked in 2008 with supervising the file of China’s relations with Taiwan and worked as China’s Ambassador to Japan from 2004 to 2007.

According to the agency, the new lineup of China’s State Council, nominated by Premier Li Keqiang, was endorsed by lawmakers at today’s parliament session.

Zhang Gaoli, Liu Yandong, Wang Yang and Ma Kai were endorsed as vice premiers, with Yang Jing, Chang Wanquan, Yang Jiechi, Guo Shengkun and Wang Yong as state councilors. Yang Jing was also appointed secretary-general of the State Council.

China’s lawmakers also endorsed Li’s nominations of ministers, governor of the central bank and auditor-general at the sixth plenary meeting of the first session of the 12th National People’s Congress (NPC).

H. Mustafa