Zheng Zeguang
Zheng Zeguang | |
|---|---|
郑泽光 | |
.jpg) Zheng in 2024 | |
| Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 8 June 2021[1] | |
| Preceded by | Liu Xiaoming |
| Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 2015–2021 | |
| Minister | Wang Yi |
| Succeeded by | Xie Feng |
| Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 2013–2015 | |
| Minister | Wang Yi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 1963 (age 61) Puning, Guangdong, China |
| Political party | Chinese Communist Party (1986-present) |
| Residence | Embassy of China, London |
| Alma mater | South China Normal University Cardiff School of Law and Politics |
Zheng Zeguang (Chinese: 郑泽光; born October 1963) is a Chinese diplomat serving as the Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom,[2] and former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China.[3]
Early life
[edit]Zheng was born in October 1963 in Nanjing village in Guangdong Province of China. His father was a buyer for the Meitang people's commune.[4]
After the Cultural Revolution ended and schools reopened, Zheng enrolled himself into Puning No. 2 High School and Puning County Normal College, a high-school-level teacher training college, in 1978.[4] He went to Puning No. 2 High School for seven weeks, until the admission offer from Puning County Normal College arrived. He switched schools to the normal college to study English. After graduating from the school in 1980, he taught English at a middle school in Nanjing village. In 1982, he took the gaokao and was offered a place at South China Normal University.[4] After graduating from the university, Zheng entered a translation class held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and became a diplomat.
Zheng also studied law at Cardiff University.[5] He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1986 and has had placements in Trinidad and Tobago and the United States. Zheng is considered an expert on China–United States relations, having specialised in that field since 1990; he was thought to be a leading contender to be ambassador to the United States.[6][7]
As of September 2021, he is banned from the British Parliament while Chinese sanctions on British MPs remain.[8]
He was appointed as a member of the 14th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on 17 January 2023 from the Friendship with Foreign Countries Sector.[9]
He was summoned by the UK Foreign Office in May 2024 after three individuals in the UK were charged with assisting the foreign intelligence service of Hong Kong. [10]
References
[edit]- ^ "China's New Ambassador Arrives in the U.K. - Caixin Global".
- ^ Zhang, Rachel (2021-06-08). "China's new envoy to Britain calls for reset in relations amid Hong Kong, Xinjiang tensions". South China Morning Post.
- ^ "Zheng Zeguang". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China.
- ^ a b c Xie, Shengxiu (2020-06-18). "Gaoguan tongxue Guangzhou laidian" 高官同学广州来电 [Call from Guangzhou from a classmate who is now a senior official]. Zhongshan Daily (in Simplified Chinese). Archived from the original on 2020-07-16. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
- ^ Wintour, Patrick (2020-12-27). "Liu Xiaoming to quit his role of Chinese ambassador to Britain". The Guardian.
- ^ Ng, Teddy; Guo, Rui (26 December 2020). "China's ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming set to retire". South China Morning Post. Guangzhou. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ Lahiri, Tripti; Timsit, Annabelle (2021-07-30). "Why China's new ambassador to the US is unlikely to go full "wolf warrior"". Quartz. Archived from the original on 2021-07-30.
- ^ "China's ambassador Zheng Zeguang banned from UK Parliament". BBC News. 2021-09-14. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
- ^ "中国人民政治协商会议第十四届全国委员会委员名单" [List of members of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference]. Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. 18 January 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "Chinese ambassador summoned by UK Foreign Office after three face spying charges". BBC News. 2024-05-14. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
External links
[edit]See also
[edit]
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- 1963 births
- Living people
- Alumni of Cardiff University
- Ambassadors of China to the United Kingdom
- 21st-century Chinese diplomats
- People from Puning
- Chinese Communist Party politicians from Guangdong
- South China Normal University alumni
- People's Republic of China politicians from Guangdong
- Chinese diplomat stubs
- Members of the 14th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference