Senior Chinese diplomat and critic of mainland media Wu Jianmin, 77, dies in car accident

scmp.com

Wu Jianmin image from article

Excerpt:

Influential senior Chinese diplomat Wu Jianmin was killed in a traffic accident in Hubei province on Saturday, state media reported.

Wu, 77, a former Chinese ambassador to France, the United Nations in Geneva and the Netherlands, had been outspoken about mainland media and actively promoted public diplomacy after retirement and was regarded as a dovish figure in China’s foreign policy. ...

Prior to his career as an envoy overseas, Wu had served as an interpreter for Chinese leaders Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, and was also a spokesman for the foreign ministry.

He was also the former president of China Foreign Affairs University, the alma mater of numerous high-ranking Chinese diplomats, including incumbent foreign minister Wang Yi.

Wu was known for being a moderate in dealing with China’s differences with the West amid the significant rise of nationalism within the mainland in recent years. ...