Sha Zukang, A Resolute Diplomat
In diplomatic parlance, “yes” could mean “maybe,” “maybe” probably means “no.” A diplomat never says “no.”
But he is an exception. He is a Chinese diplomat who has said “no” to the Americans so many times that when he was appointed Under-Secretary-General of the UN, the Americans were shocked: the least inscrutable diplomat is in town.
What’s more shocking were the headlines:
“Shut up,” Chinese hawkish diplomat tells Americans
US Health Minister “fought” with Chinese diplomat
A steadfast Chinese communist goes to UN
We usually think of diplomats as speaking and behaving in a courteous, moderate, and appropriate way. But his bluntness sets him apart as a true maverick.
On May 13, 2018, he shared his thoughts and stories at the auditorium of CFAU with nearly a thousand students who dream of becoming diplomats.
Brave and fearless
Although China has over 5,000 years of history, we lack the appropriate experience, talents and skills in participating in international affairs at the United Nations, an international intergovernmental organization. Since the founding of the UN, there have been countless special representatives on all kinds of world issues, but none of them was Chinese. As a Chinese diplomat and an officer at the UN, I feel ashamed. Why? There are all kinds of serious issues in Middle East, Syria, Iraq, but has the UN ever appointed a Chinese special envoy? No Chinese has ever been appointed special representative of the UN. Why? I personally think that this has something to do with our culture. We Chinese are too modest, or in the words of Mr. Lu Xun, overly modest is just another name for being useless. (excerpt from Ambassador Sha Zukang’s speeches)
As an acclaimed Chinese diplomat, Ambassador Sha joked that he “kept a high profile and didn’t have a good reputation.” In November 2006, when serving as Chinese Ambassador to UN headquarters in Geneva, he proposed and championed that Dr Margret Chan from Hong Kong run for director-general of WHO. It was the first time in the 61 years of UN history that a Chinese national ran for a top position at an international organization within the UN system. But how would the fanfare campaigns fit with the Chinese philosophy of “concealing one’s strength and biding one’s time?”
Dr. Margaret Chan, former Director-General of WHO: I worked shoulder to shoulder with Ambassador Sha during the whole running process. We met frequently to discuss how to deal with the campaign. He had great ideas and was very authentic. He was very honest and often talked straight from the shoulder. I learned a lot from him since he had some interesting idea. He kept reminding us that we needed to hope for the best and plan for the worst, but we would have to do our best to make it. I feel that this was a good strategy. It worked.
Sha recalled the moment when Chan won the election. “I never cry whatever happens, even if you were to put a knife to my neck. I would challenge you in the battlefield if you have the guts. Back then I had to meet 12 or 13 ambassadors a day. Sometimes I had to meet with the health ministers even at 11 pm. It was a great win in the end, and my eyes were full of tears.”
For the brave people, when faced with difficulties and problems, escape is not an option. The only option is “attack.”
When the British ambassador attacked China’s human rights record, he got an earful from Sha. “Your excellency Mr. ambassador, your face reminded me of the Opium war. Back then, you forced the Chinese people to smoke opium. When we refused, you started a war. In other words, you first infringed upon the Chinese people’s right to health, and then our right to life. Have you ever cared about China’s human rights? You have illegally occupied Hong Kong for decades and never held an election there. And how come did you today suddenly think of caring about the rights of the Chinese people?”
Sha also frequently defended China against America’s hegemony. At the 60th Session of the Commission on Human Rights in April 2004, Sha made the following rebuttal against the statement by US Delegation under Item 9: “The US delegate said that they want to promote human rights through "naming” and “shaming". If the US really cares about human rights, we hope, at least, someday, the US has the courage to table a resolution on US to shame itself. We suggest the US look hard in itself in the mirror. Though China is not rich, it is willing to provide a mirror for the US free of charge. If anyone in the room is interested, we have put in the back of the room copies of the "annual report of the human rights situation in the US for 2003" for your reference. But I suggest that you'd better not read it, in particular not read it before going to bed, because it will give you a nightmare.”
Being brave means being hardcore.
“Definitely, I’m going to win. You want to win? No way, unless you take my corpse out.”（At arms control talks.）
“It’s your prerogative to raise anti-China proposals. But one word with you: I will defeat you. I will beat the hell out of you.” (When the US threatens to propose an anti-China bill.)
“Mr. Ambassador, man up and let’s lay it on the table, don’t hide anything!”(When he meets the US Ambassador at a human rights conference)
Ambassador Sha was representing the Chinese government when the “Yinhe Incident” occurred. He used “humiliating” 17 times to describe how he felt. But his eloquence and bluntness also made the Americans lose face. This battle won him the reputation of “national hero.”
J. Stapleton Roy, then US ambassador to China: The “Yinhe Incident” had serious consequences in the US, too. Many people in Washington lost their jobs for mishandling the incident. I was in Beijing at that time, dealing with the matter, and I found that Mr. Sha Zukang did an excellent job in handling the incident. He was known for his incisiveness, and I like people like that. I like to work with people who are willing to seek the truth. And I found out that Ambassador Sha didn’t like to talk rhetoric. He has always been trying to ascertain the truth.
Fortune favors the brave. Ambassador Sha is fearless when demanding respect for his country and his people from others. He won the battles with determination and heroic pride.
Wise and resourceful
The way the UN operates is not written in the UN Charter. It is based mainly on the resolutions made by UN General Assemblies and agencies. But most of the time, the resolutions are not reached through discussion, but through formal and informal consultations after the meetings. How to consult? There are group consultations, regional consultations, host country consultations, theme country consultations and so on, which involve a lot of techniques, and require wisdom and strategies. (Excerpt from Ambassador Sha Zukang’s speeches)
Using real-life examples, Ambassador Sha explains how he, as a UN Under-Secretary-General and a Chinese diplomat, communicated with Western diplomats who came from completely different ideological backgrounds. His typical “Sha-style wisdom and style” won rounds of laughter and applauses from the students.
In 2007, after taking the office of the Under-Secretary-General of the UN, Ambassador Sha openly said in his inaugural address that he “came from a socialist country under the people’s democratic dictatorship.” He pledged that, “I swear on my own honor that an ambassador from the Communist China will be the most open, transparent and democratic under-secretary-general in the history of the UN.” When handling the personnel and financial affairs, he appointed the diplomats from China, Russia, the US and African countries to the offices of the directors who served under him at the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, so as to earn the support from these countries on internal affairs. He remarked on his appointment that “Can the Americans possibly vote against themselves? Russia would support the decisions of the Department, and Africa would vote ‘in favor’, too.” As a result, he was able to gain their support as expected.
Once UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked Ambassador Sha to translate a Confucius saying [which loosely translates to: To rule the land, one must first cultivate himself, manage his family and then govern the country]. Ambassador Sha humorously translated the saying as “Be a gentleman, be a good husband, be a good prime minister, and be a good Secretary-General of the UN.” The two exchanged a knowing look and laughed. Lynn Pascoe, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs at the time, is an American who speaks perfect Chinese. He objected Sha’s translation right away, saying that there wasn’t a UN when Confucius said that. Ambassador Sha mentioned this episode in his speech and joked that, “Americans don’t have any history or culture. The saint of ancient China must have predicted a UN.”
Humor is the hallmark of Ambassador Sha’s speech.
A great example of his style and speech is at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio, Brazil (Rio+20), held from June 20 to 22, 2012. He said, half in jest, that, “This conference has been in preparation for two years. If not for me, we wouldn’t have achieved any sustainable goals.”
It is not an exaggeration. With 135 top leaders including Premier Wen Jiabao and some 50,000 attendees present, Rio+20 is the largest conference in UN history. Organizing such a conference would be extremely difficult without the distinct style of Ambassador Sha, who was the core figure of the conference.
To give you an example of Ambassador Sha’s style and language at important moments.
Rio has a population of 6 million and welcomes 1 million tourists a year. As world leaders and tens of thousands of people gathered here from around the world, the capital of carnival was getting overwhelmed. Unfortunately, however, , Sha got the news that world leaders failed to reach agreement.
It would be a laughing stock if a consensus were not reached at the meeting attended by so many heads of state and distinguished guests.
This would be a trouble, a big trouble.
But nothing in the world can daunt General Sha (Ambassador Sha was honorably called “General Sha” in the PLA).
General Sha spoke out (“called on” in his own words): Ladies and gentlemen, we do not have an agreement yet. What should we do? The heads of states and governments arrived on chartered planes, and I suggest that we lock them up together until they reach an agreement, to which .the world is looking forward. If they can’t reach a consensus, they would let down people’s expectations and we have every reason to lock them up. What? The US Ambassador is still arguing with somebody? Then lock him up in the same room with the ambassador he’s quarrelling, and demand that they reach an agreement within a certain period of time. Do you agree?
Everybody applauded. Ambassador Sha said he was only creating public opinion; he knew for sure how the negotiations would go. At the end of the day, results are the only things that mattered. At the conference, countries reached a consensus on UN sustainable development goals.
Michael Steiner, German Ambassador to the UN: On many diplomatic occasions, Ambassador Sha was known for his frankness. He sometimes would raise his voice in a heated debate. But I think Ambassador Sha is the kind of diplomat we welcome. We don’t need diplomats who say pleasant but empty things. We need diplomats with strong and distinct individual personalities and Ambassador Sha is just like that.
Ambassador Juan Antonio Fernández, Permanent Representative of Cuba to the United Nations: Ambassador Sha’s leaving of office is a great loss to the diplomatic circle, especially for developing countries. It made us feel hollow inside. We need him. If there’s anything he’s left to us, that’s his fighting spirit. We will remember the many things he has done for us and keep that spirit alive.
Sergei Ordzhonikidze, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, and Under-Secretary-General of the UN: Ambassador Sha is a very respectable diplomat, not only because he is familiar with the affairs of the UN, but more importantly because he represents China, a great country, a permanent member of the Security Council. China’s growing economic strength enlarges its clout in international affairs, and in my opinion, Ambassador Sha is a representative of the new generation of diplomats of China.
Salute, General Sha!
Author: Chen Changrong, a special researcher at Beijing Wu Jianmin Foundation