China replaces senior Foreign Ministry official

[December 22, 2010]  BEIJING (AP) -- China has replaced a top diplomat amid a trend toward greater assertiveness in handling territorial disputes and participating in global organizations.

Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun took over recently as the ministry's Communist Party secretary, state media reported Wednesday, likely putting him in line to eventually take over from Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. Yang was accused of being caught off guard when U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced at a security conference in Vietnam this year that Washington considered the peaceful resolution of South China Sea disputes as part of the American national interest.

Zhang, 57, had served almost his entire career in the party's International Liaison Department, a type of shadow Foreign Ministry focusing on contacts with foreign political parties, until he became deputy to Yang last year.

The Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

That party background may mean he has more of a say in policymaking than his predecessor, as China increasingly abandons its former low-key approach to dealing with the outside world. The country's rising economic clout amid the global economic downturn that has battered traditional powers such as the United States has emboldened Chinese leaders to demand a bigger say in global affairs such as climate change and at international organizations, including the United Nations.

China's aggressive assertion of its territorial claims in the South China and East China seas have, meanwhile, sparked a backlash from other countries in the region, drawing them closer to Washington.

The powerful People's Liberation Army is believed to be leading the calls for a tougher line in such disputes, while other Cabinet officials have emphasized quietly advancing China's interests in economic, media and cultural spheres.

China's most senior diplomat, State Counselor Dai Bingguo, is seen as balancing the different arguments, although the country's opaque political system ensures that such debates almost never make it into the public arena.

Little is known about Zhang's personal style, although his party background and relative lack of experience working abroad suggest he will closely reflect the tone set by the party leadership.

Zhang's appointment was announced on official websites, including that of the party's People's Daily newspaper, but no exact date was given.

He takes over from Wang Guangya, a courtly career diplomat who was ambassador to the U.N. from 2003-2008, during which China took advantage of the U.S. preoccupation with Iraq to quietly expand its diplomatic space.

[Associated Press]

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