Cui Tiankai

Cui Tiankai is a Chinese diplomat and currently the Chinese Ambassador to the United States.

Biography

Born 1952 in Zhejiang Province, China, Cui graduated from the School of Foreign Languages of East China Normal University as well as from Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC. He worked for the Chinese delegation to the United Nations before ascending to his position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.^[1]

Opinions

On March 6, 2013, Cui Tiankai was interviewed by reporters from China Youth Daily when he attended the National People's Congress. "The root cause of all problems in Sino-Japan relationship is that whether Japan can accept a powerful China." Cui said, "If Japan can realize and solve this problem in her mind, all the other problems can be solved easily."^[2]

On October 8, 2013, Cui Tiankai delivered a speech at the School of Advanced International Studies at the Johns Hopkins University. He said some Japanese believe that: "During World War II, Japan was only defeated by United States and her atom bombs. Therefore, Japan only needs to get along well with United States while ignoring other nations." "This is a downright incorrect viewpoint." Cui emphasizes that, "Japan was defeated by all the peace-loving people including both Chinese and American people. There will be dire consequences if Japan is misled by incorrect viewpoints about past history."^[3]

In 2012, the case of the blind activist Chen Guangcheng triggered a diplomatic dispute between China and the US. Chen were permitted to study law in mainland China before going to the US for further studies. When Cui saw the shortlist of the universities that the Americans recommended, he roared: "There's no way he's going to East China Normal, I will not share an alma mater with that man!"^[4]

Controversies

During a meeting with Washington Governor Jay Inslee in April 2015, a group of protesters took down a Chinese flag flying outside the state capitol, which had been raised in honor of Tiankai's visit.^[5]

External links

• Biography from the English version of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China
• China Vitae Biography

References

China's Ambassadors to the U.S. Qing ministers to the U.S. 1875–1912 Chen Lanbin 1875–81 Zheng Zaoru 1881–85 Zhang Yinheng 1885–89 Cui Guoyin 1889–93 Yang Ru 1893–96 Wu Tingfang 1896–1902 Liang Cheng 1902–07 Wu Tingfang 1907–09 Zhang Yintang 1909–11 Alfred Sao-ke Sze 1911–12 ROC's envoys to the U.S. 1912–35 Zhang Yintang 1912–13 Xia Xiefu 1913–15 V. K. Wellington Koo 1915–20 Alfred Sao-ke Sze 1920–29 Wu Chaoshu 1929–31 Yan Huiqing 1931–33 Alfred Sao-ke Sze 1933–35 ROC's ambassadors to the U.S. 1935–79 Alfred Sao-ke Sze 1935–36 Wang Zhengting 1936–38 Hu Shih 1938–42 Wei Tao-ming 1942–46 V. K. Wellington Koo 1946–56 Hollington Tong 1956–58 George Yeh 1958–61 Tsiang Tingfu 1961–65 Zhou Shukai 1965–71 James Shen 1971–79 Taiwanese representatives to the U.S. 1979–present Xia Gongquan 1979–81 Cai Weiping 1981–82 Frederick Chien 1982–88 Ding Maoshi 1988–94 Lu Zhaozhong 1994–96 Jason Hu 1996–97 Chen Xifan 1997–2000 Cheng Jianren 2000–04 David Lee 2004–07 Joseph Wu 2007–08 Jason Yuan 2008–12 King Pu-tsung 2012–14 Shen Lyu-shun 2014– Chiefs of the PRC Liaison Office in the U.S. 1973–79 Huang Zhen 1973–77 Chai Zemin 1978–79 PRC's ambassadors to the U.S. 1979–present Chai Zemin 1979–82 Zhang Wenjin 1983–85 Han Xu 1985–89 Zhu Qizhen 1989–93 Li Daoyu 1993–98 Li Zhaoxing 1998–2001 Yang Jiechi 2001–05 Zhou Wenzhong 2005–10 Zhang Yesui 2010–13 Cui Tiankai 2013–present