Xiao Qian (; born November 1964) is a Chinese diplomat who is the current Chinese ambassador to Australia, in office since January 2022. Previously he served as Chinese ambassador to Indonesia and before that, Chinese ambassador to Hungary.

Biography

Born in November 1964, Xiao joined the foreign service in 1986 and previously filled posts in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, and

the Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. In November 2012, he succeeded Gao Jian (diplomat) as Chinese ambassador to Hungary, serving in that position from 2012 to 2015. In 2015–17 he was director of the Asia Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in charge of

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

. He was designated by President

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, s ...

in December 2017 according to the decision of the

National People's Congress The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China (NPC; ), or simply the National People's Congress, is constitutionally the supreme state authority and the national legislature of the People's Republic of China. With 2, ...

, to replace Xie Feng as Chinese ambassador to Indonesia. In January 2022, he was appointed Chinese ambassador to Australia, succeeding .

Political view

On 9 August 2022 during the

National Press Club of Australia The National Press Club is an association of primarily news journalists, but also includes academics, business people and members of the public service, and is based in Canberra, Australia. History The National Press Club was founded in 1963 ...

event, Ambassador Xiao Qian claimed that the Taiwanese people might need "re-educating" in the event of any reunification with Mainland China. while responding to Australian reporters regarding similar comments from Chinese Ambassador to France.

Personal life

Xiao is married and has a daughter.

Honours and awards

* 2015

HUN_Order_of_Merit_of_the_Hungarian_Rep_(civil)_3class_BAR

Hungarian Order of Merit The Hungarian Order of Merit ( hu, Magyar Érdemrend) is the fourth highest State Order of Hungary. Founded in 1991, the order is a revival of an original order founded in 1946 and abolished in 1949. Its origins, however, can be traced to the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xiao, Qian 1964 births Living people Ambassadors of China to Hungary Ambassadors of China to Indonesia Ambassadors of China to Australia Diplomats of the People's Republic of China Commander's Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (civil)