Mei Zhaorong

Mei Zhaorong
Chinese: 梅兆荣
Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Germany
In office
June 1988 – January 1997
Personal details
BornFebruary 1934 (1934-02)
Chongming, Jiangsu (now Shanghai), China
DiedNovember 22, 2023(2023-11-22) (aged 89)

Mei Zhaorong (Chinese: 梅兆荣; February 1934 – November 22, 2023) was a Chinese diplomat who served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Federal Republic of Germany from 1988 to 1997. He was a long-time specialist in European affairs and later served as President of the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs.[1][2][3]

Biography

Mei Zhaorong was born in February 1934 in Chongming, Jiangsu (now part of Shanghai). In January 1951, while still a secondary-school student, he responded to the nationwide mobilization during the Korean War and began work-study training. He enrolled in the English Department of the Beijing Foreign Languages School, later known as the Beijing Foreign Studies Institute.[4] In July 1953, he joined the Chinese Communist Party and was selected as one of the first cohorts of government-sponsored students sent by the People's Republic of China to the German Democratic Republic, where he studied German language and literature at Karl Marx University, Leipzig.[5]

After completing his studies, Mei entered the diplomatic service in 1956. He served successively as an attaché at the Chinese embassy in East Germany and later held positions within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including deputy section chief in the Soviet and Eastern European Affairs Department.[6] He subsequently served as second secretary at the Chinese embassies in both East Germany and the Federal Republic of Germany. From the late 1970s onward, Mei worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Western European Affairs Department, where he advanced from section chief to deputy director-general and ultimately director-general.[7]

In June 1988, Mei was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Federal Republic of Germany.[8] From 1992 onward, his post carried vice-ministerial rank. He served in this role until January 1997 and played a significant part in stabilizing and developing Sino-German relations during a period of major geopolitical change in Europe.[9] Between 1993 and 1998, he was a member of the Eighth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.[10]

From 1997 to 2003, Mei served as president and Party Secretary of the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs.[11] In recognition of his contributions to international exchange, he received an honorary doctorate from Myongji University in South Korea in 2003 and was awarded the Grand Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by the German president in 2004. From July 2012, he served as a specially appointed research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies.[12]

Mei Zhaorong died in Beijing on 22 November 2023 at the age of 89.[13][14]

References

  1. ^ 熊光楷 (2008). 藏书・记事・忆人 (in Chinese). 新华出版社. p. 315. ISBN 978-7-5011-8218-3. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  2. ^ 李健 (1995). 钓鱼台国事风云 (in Chinese). 太白文艺出版社. p. 1348. ISBN 978-7-80605-102-3. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  3. ^ "中国前驻德大使梅兆荣逝世，曾为毛泽东周恩来邓小平等担任翻译". 上观新闻-站上海，观天下 (in Chinese). 2023-11-23. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  4. ^ 永远的怀念 (in Chinese). 人民出版社. 2008. p. 105. ISBN 978-7-01-006853-4. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  5. ^ 何頻 (1994). 中國掌權者: 大陸卷 (in Chinese). 雲皓出版社. p. 171. ISBN 978-957-8902-06-0. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  6. ^ 中国外交 (in Chinese). 中国人民大学书报资料社. 2009. p. 44. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  7. ^ 周南; 宗道一 (2007). 周南口述: 遥想当年羽扇纶巾 (in Chinese). 齊鲁書社. p. 234. ISBN 978-7-5333-1808-6. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  8. ^ "中国外交官梅兆荣见证柏林墙始末_卫视_凤凰网". 凤凰卫视首页 (in Chinese). Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  9. ^ 中國對外經濟貿易年鑑 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 華潤貿易諮詢有限公司. 1991. p. 761. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  10. ^ "梅兆荣同志逝世". 中国共产党新闻网--人民网 (in Chinese). 2023-12-24. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  11. ^ 复旦大学大使论坛 (in Chinese). 复旦大学出版社. 2005. p. 1. ISBN 978-7-309-04700-4. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  12. ^ 何頻 (1996). 中國政府領導者 (in Chinese). 明鏡出版社. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-9699908-4-0. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  13. ^ "梅兆荣逝世". 手机新浪网 (in Chinese). 2023-11-23. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  14. ^ "梅兆荣同志逝世-新华网". 新华网_让新闻离你更近 (in Chinese). 2023-12-01. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.