Explainer | China’s history of recalling ambassadors goes back to Mao era
- Political turmoil and the Cultural Revolution sparked the snapping of ties in the 1960s, while Tiananmen Square was the trigger two decades on
- Taiwan and the one-China policy caused friction in other instances
1966: ambassador to Indonesia
China recalled Yao Zhongming, the ambassador to Indonesia, in April 1966 amid rising anti-Chinese attacks. The two countries cut diplomatic ties in 1967.
From 1965 to 1966, a series of mass killings took place in Indonesia targeting members of the Community Party of Indonesia and those who sympathised with the communist cause. Ethnic Chinese were also killed for their involvement with the Communist Party, though there is no official record of the death toll.
The two sides restored diplomatic relations 23 years later, in 1990.
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1966-76: all ambassadors recalled during Cultural Revolution
Beijing previously had 41 foreign missions, but diplomatic activities became significantly reduced following the start of the movement. Almost all Chinese ambassadors were recalled during the decade-long period, with only the envoy in Cairo, Egypt, remaining by the spring of 1967.
Cultural Revolution, 50 years on – the pain, passion and power struggle that shaped today’s China
1989: all ambassadors recalled following Tiananmen Square crackdown
Instead, the reasons given were “annual home leave” or “scheduled vacation”.
Western diplomats suggested that Beijing had scheduled a meeting in order to offer the official version of what it called a “counter-revolutionary rebellion”, a move taken to prevent further diplomatic defections. More than 20 Chinese diplomats had defected in the aftermath of the crackdown, according to media reports.
1981: ambassador to the Netherlands
China recalled its ambassador to the Netherlands in 1981 after the government allowed a Dutch company to sell submarines to Taiwan. The Chinese government also requested the Dutch to recall its ambassador to Beijing.
In the absence of ambassadors, relations between the two countries dropped to the charge d’affaires level, before resuming as normal in 1984.
1995: ambassador to the US
In a similar row over Taiwan, China in June 1995 recalled its ambassador to Washington, Li Daoyu, after the US allowed a private visit by then-Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui.
Lee was the first Taiwanese president to visit the US since it withdrew recognition of Taiwan in 1979 as part of a move to establish diplomatic relations with Beijing.
Beijing said it had decided to recall its ambassador to “report on his work in view of the current state of Sino-US relations”, while Li said that he was being recalled for “consultations” in protest at the US action.
The US decision to grant a visa to Lee pushed the two countries to a diplomatic low, amid already declining relations due to conflicts over human rights issues, trade, and military technology. In giving Lee permission to privately visit Cornell University, his alma mater, the US was “playing with fire”, China declared.
At the time, then-president Bill Clinton had yet to make any arrangements for his visit to China or for then-Chinese president Jiang Zemin to visit Washington.
Li resumed his post two months later after the US promised to observe the one-China policy.
