Fund to honor life’s work of diplomat

A foundation was launched in Beijing on Thursday to commemorate the late diplomat Wu Jianmin and to improve communication and understanding between China and the rest of the world.

The Wu Jianmin Foundation will set up a program to facilitate exchanges and visits between outstanding young people in China and other countries, said Wu Jiansheng, the foundation’s director-general and brother of the deceased diplomat.

The program will finance visits to China of leading young people abroad to improve their understanding of the country, as well as its development path and philosophy. The idea is to nurture a new generation whose members comprehend and hold friendly views toward China.

The foundation also will support and finance research on China’s peaceful development, set up scholarships for talented young people who aspire to a career in international communication, and hold public diplomacy events, Wu Jiansheng said. The foundation’s endowment was not disclosed.

Wu Jianmin, a veteran diplomat known for his advocacy of peaceful development, died in June at age 77 in a car crash in Wuhan, Hubei province.

He had served as the Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, China’s ambassador to the Netherlands and France, and the country’s delegate to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

He also had served as president of China Foreign Affairs University.

Wu Jianmin’s wife, Shi Yanhua, president of the foundation,recalled that her husband made the most of his life and “loved the cause of diplomacy”.

Han Zhiqiang, director-general of the Foreign Ministry’s General Office, said Wu Jianmin “had dedicated all his lifetime’s efforts and wisdom” to China’s diplomacy. Han said he thinks the foundation will “play an important role” in communications between China and other countries.