A former Chinese vice premier and top diplomat who oversaw the handover of Hong Kong and Macau has died in Beijing at the age of 90, state media said yesterday. Citing an official statement, the Xinhua News Agency said Qian Qichen died of an unspecified illness on Tuesday night.
The Shanghai-born veteran diplomat was chairman of a committee that China appointed to prepare for Hong Kong’s change of sovereignty in 1997. He was also the chairman of the Macao SAR Preparatory Committee.
Qian was also the country’s top foreign affairs official in 2001 when relations with the United States took a steep downturn after a U.S. Navy surveillance plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea. The Chinese plane crashed, killing the pilot.
Qian’s diplomatic career began in 1955 when he worked in the Chinese Embassy in Moscow, returning home in 1963. Xinhua said Qian, who spoke English and Russian, was “an outstanding leader in diplomacy of the country.” MDT/AP
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