| Post: | Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| Body: | the People's Republic of China |
| Insignia: | National Emblem of the People's Republic of China (2).svg |
| Insigniasize: | 100 |
| Insigniacaption: | National Emblem of the People's Republic of China |
| Flag: | Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg |
| Flagcaption: | Flag of the People's Republic of China |
| Nominator: | Premier (chosen within the Chinese Communist Party) |
| Appointer: | President |
| Incumbent: | Wang Yi |
| Incumbentsince: | 25 July 2023 |
| Department: | Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| Reports To: | Central Foreign Affairs Commission |
| Member Of: | State Council |
| Seat: | Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building, Chaoyang District, Beijing |
| Precursor: | Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China |
| Native Name: | 中华人民共和国外交部部长 |
| Deputy: | Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| First: | Zhou Enlai |
| Appointer Qualified: | with the confirmation of the National People's Congress or its Standing Committee |
| Status: | Provincial-Ministerial level official |
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China is the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China and one of the country's top and most important cabinet posts. Officially, the minister is nominated by the premier of the State Council, who is then approved by the National People's Congress or its Standing Committee and appointed by the president.[1]
The Minister usually is also a member of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and a state councillor. The Minister is the second-highest ranking diplomat in China after the director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission.[2] The current minister is Wang Yi, who concurrently serves as the director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission
The post was initially established after the proclamation of the People's Republic of China in 1 October 1949 as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Central People's Government, with Zhou Enlai being appointed as both the minister and the premier.[3]
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Important offices held during tenure | Premier | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Term | ||||||
| Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Central People's Government | ||||||||
| 1 | Zhou Enlai 周恩来 | 1 October 1949 | 28 September 1954 | Premier of the State Council | Zhou Enlai | [4] | ||
| Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China | ||||||||
| 1 | Zhou Enlai 周恩来 | 28 September 1954 | 11 February 1958 | Premier of the State Council Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party | Zhou Enlai | |||
| 2 | Chen Yi 陈毅 | 11 February 1958 | 6 January 1972 | Vice Premier of the State Council Head of the Central Foreign Affairs Leading Group Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Vice Chairman of the CCP Central Military Commission | [5] | |||
| 3 | Ji Pengfei 姬鹏飞 | 6 January 1972 | 18 November 1973 | Head of the Party Core Group of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs | [6] | |||
| 4 | Qiao Guanhua 喬冠華 | 18 November 1973 | 2 December 1976 | Zhou Enlai Hua Guofeng | [7] | |||
| 5 | Huang Hua 黄华 | 2 December 1976 | 19 November 1982 | Vice Premier of the State Council State Councillor | Hua Guofeng Zhao Ziyang | [8] | ||
| 6 | Wu Xueqian 吴学谦 | 19 November 1982 | 12 April 1988 | Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs State Councillor Deputy Head of the Central Foreign Affairs Leading Group | Zhao Ziyang | [9] | ||
| 7 | Qian Qichen 钱其琛 | 12 April 1988 | 18 March 1998 | Vice Premier of the State Council State Councillor | Li Peng | [10] | ||
| 8 | Tang Jiaxuan 唐家璇 | 18 March 1998 | 17 March 2003 | Secretary of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Zhu Rongji | [11] | ||
| 9 | Li Zhaoxing 李肇星 | 17 March 2003 | 27 April 2007 | Wen Jiabao | [12] | |||
| 10 | Yang Jiechi 杨洁篪 | 27 April 2007 | 16 March 2013 | State Councillor | [13] | |||
| 11 | Wang Yi 王毅 | 16 March 2013 | 30 December 2022 | State Councillor Member of the CCP Politburo | Li Keqiang | [14] | ||
| 12 | Qin Gang 秦刚 | 30 December 2022 | 25 July 2023 | Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs State Councillor | [15] | |||
| Li Qiang | ||||||||
| 13 | Wang Yi 王毅 | 25 July 2023 | Incumbent | Member of the CCP Politburo Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission | [16] | |||