China’s EU ambassador Fu Cong to take over United Nations role
- Fu’s tenure in Brussels coincided with growing tensions over Beijing’s relations with Russia and probes into alleged electric vehicle subsidies
- In his farewell comments to the EU, Fu urged the bloc to ‘build more bridges’ rather than ‘errecting walls or digging holes’
Fu takes on the UN role at a time when China is seeking to bolster its support among members of the so-called Global South. In announcing his appointment, the China International Development Cooperation Agency, a government foreign aid organisation, called for greater cooperation between the agency and China’s diplomats at the UN.
Despite the growing tensions with the EU under his watch, Wang Yiwei, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing, said “Fu’s work in Europe was commendable to the leadership.”
He said that by moving to the UN: “His official rank remains the same, but the new role means more responsibility as that involves China-US confrontation.”
Fu left his posting in Brussels last month, and in his farewell reception, he urged China and the EU to “build more roads and bridges instead of erecting walls or digging holes or creating small yards”.
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“The tripartite description of China as a partner, a competitor and a systemic rival is inappropriate and does not correspond to reality,” he said.
He also noted that protectionism or the “frequent use of anti-subsidy and anti-dumping measures under the banner of de-risking” will not only harm the China-EU relationship, but also go against the long-term interests of the EU.
His successor in Brussels has yet to be named. A Chinese international relations specialist, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “China has always attached special importance to relations with the EU as we try to estrange the bloc from the United States, but I think it’s just wishful thinking since we don’t share values with Europeans.”
Fu will be the 15th ambassador since the People’s Republic of China took over the country’s seat at the UN and the Security Council from Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, in 1971.
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China’s diplomatic mission to the UN said the current ambassador, Zhang Jun, would be returning to China without specifying what his next posting would be.
The 63-year-old has technically passed the official retirement age, although such restrictions do not usually apply to diplomats. Hong Kong’s Sing Tao newspaper reported last month that he was going to take over as secretary-general of the Boao Asia Forum.
