Yang Jiechi

Yang Jiechi (born May 1950) is a high-ranking Chinese politician and lifelong professional diplomat. He was the tenth Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China, between 2007 and 2013. He joined the inner circle of the State Council in 2013, as a State Councilor under Premier Li Keqiang. In this capacity, he serves as one of the most prominent architects of China's foreign policy. Yang spent much of his professional life in the United States, where he served as Chinese Ambassador from 2001 to 2005.

Early life and education

Yang was born in Shanghai in May 1950. He graduated from Shanghai Foreign Language School and attended the University of Bath and the London School of Economics from 1973 to 1975. He received a PhD in history from Nanjing University.

Career

He previously served as a diplomat in the United States, beginning as a Second Secretary in 1983 and later as Ambassador from 2001 to 2005, and as Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs responsible for Latin America and Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. During the Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989, Yang accompanied Wan Li, the chairman of the National People's Congress, on a trip to North America.

State councilor

The state councillor (Chinese: 国务委员; pinyin: guówù wěiyuán) is a powerful position within the State Council of the People's Republic of China, i.e. the executive organ of China's central government (comparable to a cabinet). It ranks immediately below the Vice-Premiers and above the Ministers of various departments. The position was created during the May 1982 restructuring of the State Council, when eleven state councillors were appointed, ten of whom were vice premiers until then.

Role

In theory, state councilors are to assist the Premier and Vice-Premiers to oversee various government portfolios. They can also represent the State Council (and in turn, China's government) on foreign visits. state councilors are part of a Standing Committee of the State Council, alongside the Premier, Vice-Premiers, and the Secretary General of the State Council. The organ holds weekly meetings. In practice, a state councilor's portfolios can be very wide-ranging. State councilors often accompany China's higher dignitaries on trips abroad - as was the case with State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan from 2003–08, and Dai Bingguo from 2008–present. Dai also became China's representative at the 2009 G8 Summit in Italy when President Hu Jintao decided to cut short his attendance to return to China in order to deal with the July 2009 Urumqi riots.

Secretary of State

Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government.

In many countries, a Secretary of State is a mid-level post. It is usually a politically appointed position, although in some countries, such as Germany and Sweden, it can be filled by a member of the executive bureaucracy (civil service) as a political appointment. In the Holy See, there is one Secretary of State, who coordinates all the departments of the Roman Curia (that is, equivalent to a Prime Minister). In the United Kingdom a Secretary of State is a member of the Cabinet appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister (that is, equivalent to a Minister). In the Federal Government of the United States of America, there is one Secretary of State, the most senior political appointee responsible for foreign policy (that is, equivalent to a Foreign Minister).

Yang

Yang may refer to:

Geography

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Rex Tillerson

Rex Wayne Tillerson (born March 23, 1952 in Wichita Falls, Texas) is an American businessman and is the chairman, president, and CEO of Exxon Mobil Corporation. Under Tillerson's leadership Exxon acquired XTO Energy. Exxon has tied with Apple Inc. and Google to be one of the top three largest public companies by market value.

Education

Rex Wayne Tillerson was born on March 23, 1952 in Wichita Falls, Texas. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 1965. In 1970, he graduated from Huntsville High School in Huntsville, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975. During his time at UT Austin, he was involved with the Tejas Club,Longhorn Band, and Alpha Phi Omega. In 2006 he was named a Distinguished Engineering Graduate.

Business career

Tillerson joined The Exxon Company, US, in 1975 as an engineer. He held various positions with Exxon, domestically and internationally. In 1995, he became president of Exxon Yemen Inc. and Esso Exploration and Production Khorat Inc. In 1998, he became a vice president of Exxon Ventures (CIS) and president of Exxon Neftegas Limited with responsibility for Exxon's holdings in Russia and the Caspian Sea. In 1999, with the merger of Exxon and Mobil, he was named Executive Vice President of ExxonMobil Development Company. In 2004, he became president and director of Exxon Mobil and on January 1, 2006, he was elected chairman and chief executive officer (CEO), following the retirement of Lee Raymond. Tillerson is also a trustee for the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the American Petroleum Institute, and is a member of the Business Roundtable.