Song Tao | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
宋涛 | |||||||
.jpg) Song in 2019 | |||||||
| Director of theTaiwan Affairs Office | |||||||
| Assumed office 28 December 2022 | |||||||
| Premier | Li Keqiang Li Qiang | ||||||
| Preceded by | Liu Jieyi | ||||||
| Head of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party | |||||||
| In office 19 November 2015 – 2 June 2022 | |||||||
| General secretary | Xi Jinping | ||||||
| Preceded by | Wang Jiarui | ||||||
| Succeeded by | Liu Jianchao | ||||||
| Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines | |||||||
| In office September 2007 – October 2008 | |||||||
| Preceded by | Li Jinjun | ||||||
| Succeeded by | Liu Jianchao | ||||||
| Chinese Ambassador to Guyana | |||||||
| In office March 2002 – August 2004 | |||||||
| Preceded by | Wu Zhenglong | ||||||
| Succeeded by | Shen Qing | ||||||
| Personal details | |||||||
| Born | April 1955 (age 70) | ||||||
| Political party | Chinese Communist Party | ||||||
| Alma mater | Fujian Normal University | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 宋涛 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 宋濤 | ||||||
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Song Tao (Chinese:宋涛; born April 1955) is a Chinese politician and diplomat, currently serving as director of theState Council Taiwan Affairs Office since December 2022. He served ashead of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party from 2015 to 2022. He was previously Chinese ambassador toGuyana, the Philippines, the disciplinary chief of theMinistry of Foreign Affairs, and executive deputy director of the Foreign Affairs Office.
Song was bornSuqian, Jiangsu province, in April 1955. During theCultural Revolution, when Song was a teenager, he performed manual labour as asent-down youth inSha County, Fujian. He worked in the province for his whole life. He attendedFujian Normal University. Beginning in 1978, he worked at the Fujian Forestry Institute. He was later transferred to the Light Industry Institute of Fujian. He also worked inLuoyuan County, the Light Textiles Industry Company of Fujian, Fujian International Trust Company. From September 1988 to August 1991, he attendedMonash University in Australia. In 2001, he was named as an assistant to the Chinese ambassador to India. He then became ambassador to Guyana, a department chief in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the ambassador to the Philippines.[1]
In August 2008, he joined the party committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the head of discipline inspection of the ministry, in charge of supervision and anti-corruption activities. In September 2011, he was named vice minister of foreign affairs. In November 2013, he was named deputy head of the Foreign Affairs Office, the execution arm of theForeign Affairs Leading Group. In September 2014, he was elevated to executive deputy chief of the office, with the rank equivalent of a minister.[1]
In October 2015, Song accompaniedPolitburo Standing Committee memberLiu Yunshan on a high-profile trip to North Korea. In November 2015, he replacedWang Jiarui ashead of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party. Wang had been at the helm of the department for over a decade.[1]
On 28 December 2022, he was appointed director of theTaiwan Affairs Office, succeedingLiu Jieyi.[2]
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Hilal-i-Imtiaz[4]| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chinese Ambassador to Guyana 2002–2004 | Succeeded by Shen Qing |
| Preceded by | Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines 2007–2008 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Head of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party 2015–2022 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Director of the Taiwan Work Office of theCCP Central Committee 2022–present | Incumbent |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Director of theTaiwan Affairs Office 2022–present | Incumbent |