Former Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang set to be named ambassador to Indonesia
- The 53-year-old recently stepped down as head of the department for North American affairs and is tipped to be posted to Jakarta
- He won praise for his handling of an English-language interview with the US network NBC but some feel his ‘old school’ approach may slow his advance
Lu, 53, a stern-faced diplomat with a buzz cut, became known for his terse yet firm responses to challenging questions when he was the ministry’s spokesman and head of the information department from 2015 to 2019.
His experience also includes a posting to the embassy in Washington and work on arms control. He recently attended the Central Party School, the exclusive training ground for promising cadres.
In a rare interview with American broadcaster NBC in 2017 soon after Donald Trump took office, Lu was questioned about sensitive topics such as the South China Sea and the looming trade war with the US. He also conducted the interview entirely in English, a rare practice for home-based Chinese diplomats.
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“[NBC] asked to do [the interview] in English which we knew was a departure from usual protocol. There was a bit of negotiation involved. But Lu showed flexibility and agreed,” said the person.
As head of the information department, Lu was among the officials that led the foreign ministry’s foray onto Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo and Douyin
But some observers have noted the new generation of diplomats like Lu generally lacks the ability to connect to a Western audience.
“Lu is among the generation of diplomats who focus more on domestic propaganda. He has not shown that he is attuned to the discourse in the West or has the cultural sensitivity that will more effectively get his message across to an international audience,” said a Beijing-based analyst who researches China’s international image and media landscape.
Lu attracted criticism when he said during a press conference in 2017 that the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong had become “a historical document that no longer has any realistic meaning” in response to Washington and London’s criticism of Hong Kong’s weakening autonomy.
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Lu’s relatively low profile on social media has set him apart from other more combative diplomats of his generation. He does not have a personal Twitter account, nor is he active on Chinese social media. He is known among his peers as an “old school type”, which could potentially slow his career advancement, according to a source.
“The ambassadorship to Indonesia is an important posting. But Lu’s career trajectory has not been as smooth as Hua’s. In a different time Lu would have already been promoted to the leadership position within the ministry,” said the source.
When Lu was promoted to head the North American and Oceania affairs department in 2019, it was seen as a sign of a promising career trajectory.
Others who held the role include Yang Jiechi, now China’s top diplomat, who became a vice-minister and served as ambassador to the US between 2001 and 2005.
The foreign vice-minister Xie Feng, in charge of managing China’s relationship with the US, also headed the department between 2010 and 2014.
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Insiders have noted that a key reason for the relatively rapid rise of diplomats like Hua and Qin Gang, the current ambassador to the US, within the hierarchy was their ability to show initiative and their close adherence to the top Chinese leadership’s approach to foreign policy.
“Diplomats like Lu are just as loyal as Hua to the party and he has also read plenty of Mao [Zedong]’s essays,” said one source. “But a key question is who can better interpret and implement what is needed in China today.”
