China appoints ambassador to US, Qin Gang, as new foreign minister

China appointed its ambassador to the United States as its next foreign minister on Friday, apparently signaling a softer tone toward the international community.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Friday that the National People’s Congress Standing Committee decided to remove former Foreign Minister Wang Yi from his post and replace him with Qin Gang.

Bloomberg reported that Qin, who has served as China’s ambassador to the U.S. since July, has sought a balance between defending China’s interests and showing a softer side of Chinese diplomacy. Wang is likely going to be appointed to the Chinese Communist Party’s top foreign policy position, according to Bloomberg.

Qin has also reportedly said that China would have tried to stop Russia from invading Ukraine if it had known about that plan and downplayed the risk of going to war with Taiwan.

Wang has served as Chinese foreign minister for almost a decade.

Qin’s appointment comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping has reportedly been trying to repair China’s relations with the U.S. and its allies.

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