The book Unforgettable Ambassador Wu - Recalling Wu Jianmin officially published

In August 2017, the book Unforgettable Ambassador Wu - Recalling Wu Jianmin was officially published by the People's Publishing House.

Ambassador Wu Jianmin was a famous diplomat in China. He had served as Director-General and spokesperson of Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chinese ambassador to the Netherlands, representative of the Permanent Mission of the PRC to the UN Office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, Chinese ambassador to France, President of China Foreign Affairs University, President of the The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) and deputy head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Committee of the CPPCC. In June 2016, Ambassador Wu Jianmin died in Wuhan due to a car accident.

In honor of Ambassador Wu Jianmin, his wife Shiyanhua and his brother Wu Jiansheng presided over the compilation of the book, which contains the commemorative articles, related condolence letters and pictures, etc., contributed by his friends at home and abroad, his colleagues and people from the academic and political circles, recalling the details of contacts with him or commenting on his contribution to Chinese diplomacy. It is a multi-faceted exhibition of Wu Jianmin's life of struggle.

The following is a selection of the memorial articles in the book written by Yang Jiechi, which is also the first foreword of the book. Yang Jiechi is a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee.

On June 18, 2016, I was accompanying President Xi Jinping on a visit abroad. When hearing the sudden sad news that Wu Jianmin was involved in a car accident in Wuhan and passed away, all members of the delegation were upset and shocked.

I first met Comrade Wu in the early 1990s. At that time, he had just returned from Belgium and served as Director-General and spokesperson of the MFA Information Department. It was the most difficult period of Chinese diplomacy. The international situation changed abruptly. Various political forces set off anti-China waves in the world for all kinds of purposes. Western countries announced sanctions on our country one after another. Their media vilified and attacked China almost every day. Given such a harsh environment of international opinion, you can imagine how hard it was for Mr. Wu, the only spokesman of the MFA at that time, to manage. I noticed that he always calmly and convincingly refuted the provocative questions put forward by western reporters. This had a lot to do with his consistent learning of policies and tracking of the development of international situation.

In 1993, President Jiang Zemin visited the United States and attended the informal meeting of APEC leaders. As Minister of the Embassy of the PRC in the USA, I received the delegation, and had the opportunity to see Comrade Wu presiding over the press conference.

Western journalists often took the opportunity of asking questions to attack China. An American reporter tried to throw out a package of opinions tainting China before asking the question. Wu immediately interrupted him and said, “This is a speech, not a question. Your question, please.” The reporter then had to stop his charge. The firm and calm command of Wu ensured the smooth progress of the press conference and won praise from all parties.

In October 1995, Wu Jianmin became representative of the Permanent Mission of the PRC to the UN Office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland on secondment. After taking office, he got focused on the fight around human rights. At that time, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) defeated the anti-China proposal put forward by the United States and some other countries by only one vote. Can the victory be guaranteed at the next UNCHR meeting? Wu Jianmin once again faced major challenges. At the beginning of his term of office, he went all out to work on human rights issues. He conducted researches and discussed with competent colleagues on the strategy and tactics, coordinated with a division of labor, and launched a series of campaigns to win support of the developing countries and indecisive developed countries for China. By April 1996, China once again foiled the anti-China proposal at the UNCHR meeting and safeguarded our national dignity.

A good diplomat must be able to gain insights into the global climate and timely report back to China, giving opinions and suggestions on changes in the current situation. When Wu Jianmin was working abroad, he always put the survey work on the first place. The research reports he submitted were full of facts and contained clear-cut points of view. The recommendations he proposed were reliable information for the central government to make sound decisions.

During his tenure as ambassador to France, Wu Jianmin took advantage of his language skill to make extensive contacts with people from all walks of life in France and briefed them on China's development and foreign policy. I had accompanied the Chinese leaders to visit France many times and saw him very popular with the French people, who were all willing to talk with him. From his contacts with senior officials of France, he learned about France's intention to deepening Sino-French relations, so he actively arranged the high-level visits for leaders of both countries, proposing that they may visit each other’s hometown, where progress was made in the comprehensive partnership between China and France. He also vigorously promoted Sino-French cultural exchanges, facilitating the establishment of the China Cultural Center in Paris, and agreeing on both sides' cultural year activities.

As the BIE was based in Paris, so in Shanghai's bid to host the World Expo, the Chinese Embassy in France naturally took on the public relation responsibility. Wu Jianmin resolutely executed the instructions from home and cooperated with Shanghai to carry out various activities, making important contributions to the successful bidding.

In 2003, Wu Jianmin returned to Beijing, happily reoriented and began to serve as President of China Foreign Affairs University. Education was a brand-new field for him. However, he did not fear the hardships and once again devoted himself to the work with full enthusiasm. He cared for young students and strived to help them expand their horizons. He launched the CFAU Forum and invited well-known Chinese figures from various fields and foreign dignitaries to give lectures or hold seminars, which were very popular among the students. As far as I know, he did everything wholeheartedly, and he was not satisfied with the status quo, so he can always open up a new world.

After retirement, Wu Jianmin served as a member of the Foreign Policy Advisory Committee, the Public Diplomacy Advisory Committee, and the National Education Advisory Committee. By drawing on his rich diplomatic experience, profound professional knowledge, and extensive human resources, he participated in a large number of international conferences, promoted Chinese and foreign communication and exchanges, and actively pushed forward the development of China's public diplomacy. He would only accept invitations to meetings abroad for the sake of telling a good "China story," and every time he came and go in a hurry.

Wu Jianmin had a strong sense of responsibility, mission and dedication. He devoted all his energy to the diplomatic cause of China. He loved diplomacy, and he once said: "If there is an afterlife, I would like to be a diplomat again." His spirit is what we shall learn.

This book is a collection of the memories (comments) of different people from different perspectives. They together depict Wu Jianmin's loyalty to the motherland and the party and his lifelong struggle for the diplomatic cause. It is a good book worth reading.