Li Zhaoxing

Early career (1970-2001)[edit]

In 1970, he was reinstated into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China and on the same year, he was assigned as a staff and attaché with the Chinese Embassy in Kenya. In 1977, he was appointed as staff member and deputy director of the Information Department within thew ministry, serving until 1983. From 1983 to 1985, he served as a first secretary at the Embassy of China in the Kingdom of Lesotho. Li considered his diplomatic work in Africa as "may be the most energetic days and months in my life."^[1][3]


In 1985, he returned to China and served successively as deputy director, director and spokesperson of the Information Department in the ministry. In 1990, he was promoted to Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and in 1993, he was appointed as Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations. Two years later, he was promoted to Vice Foreign Minister. In 1998, he was appointed as Chinese Ambassador to the United States. During his tenure as ambassador, the relations between China and the United States were strained heavily during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia when the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, was bombed by the United States during the NATO bombing on 7 May 1999, killing three Chinese nationals. In response to incident, Li called the incident as an "horrifying atrocity" and demanded that NATO investigate the incident. On 13 May, after President of the United States Bill Clinton issued a public apology for the incident, Li was present at the Oval Office in the White House when Clinton signed the official condolence book. Following the end of his tenure as ambassador in 2001, the Mayor of Washington D.C. Anthony A. Williams declared 29 January 2001, which was Li's last day in office as ambassador, as "Li Zhaoxing Day", in recognition of Li's efforts in fostering China-United States relations.^[1][4][5]


Following his return from the United States in 2001, Li was appointed as Vice-Minister. On April 2001, in response to U.S. arms sale to Taiwan, Li said that the "Chinese side strongly urges the U.S. side to recognize the serious, harmful and dangerous nature of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan." On the same month, when asked about the return of the U.S. Navy P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft which made emergency landing on Hainan Island during the Hainan Island incident, he stated that "if we allow such a military plane, which had a mission of spying on China, to be flown back out of China, that will further hurt the dignity and sentiments of the Chinese people." Eventually, the Chinese allowed the aircraft to be returned back to the United States in July 2001.^[1][6][7][8]