Lijian, who took over as the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in 2019, made headlines in March 2020 by tweeting accusing the US military of bringing the coronavirus to China.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian has been transferred to the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of the Ministry. Lijian is known as a ‘flamboyant’ diplomat, especially for his aggressive statements against the US and other countries. Before being appointed spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in 2019, 50-year-old Zhao served as deputy ambassador at the Chinese embassy in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad.
Although there has been no official announcement about his transfer here, his name has been removed from the list of spokespersons on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry and added as Deputy Director General of the Department for Boundary and Ocean Affairs. Which is mainly related to China’s claims and agreements related to land and oceanic borders including Indo-China border.
Geng is currently China’s ambassador to the US
Significantly, his transfer took place during the appointment of Qin Geng as the new foreign minister in place of the current minister Wang Yi. Geng is currently China’s ambassador to the US. In his farewell message to the US, Geng, considered close to President Xi Jinping, said his priority was to improve strained relations between China and the US.
controversial tweets in 2020
Lijian, who took over as the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in 2019, made headlines in March 2020 by tweeting accusing the US military of bringing the coronavirus to China. At that time China was facing the outbreak of the virus. This virus was first spread in Wuhan, China, after which it engulfed the whole world.
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