China appointed US ambassador Qin Gang as its new foreign minister on Friday, state media reported.
The 56-year-old replaces Wang Yi, who has been the face of Chinese diplomacy since 2013.

Qin had been Beijing’s top representative in Washington since last year, charged with putting the relationship between the world’s two largest economies back on track.

Qin Gang previously served as the vice minister of foreign affairs between 2018 and 2021, and the Chinese Ambassador to the United States between 2021 and 2022

Qin, from the northeastern city of Tianjin, has earned a reputation as a “wolf warrior”, a nickname given to Chinese diplomats who respond vehemently to Western nations they perceive as hostile.

The appointment was anticipated after Qin was promoted to the powerful Central Committee at the ruling Communist Party’s national congress in October.