The Chinese Ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, recently held a farewell reception in preparation for his departure, amid rumors that he may be succeeded by former Director of the Asian Affairs Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Liu Jingsong. Prior to this, Liu Jingsong sparked public discussion when he was seen with “his hands in his pockets” during an interaction with Japanese diplomats.
On the evening of July 28th, the Chinese Embassy in Australia announced on its official website that a farewell reception was held for Xiao Qian. Xiao Qian, 62 years old, has served as the Chinese Ambassador to Australia since January 2022, with a tenure of about 4 and a half years until his departure.
Regarding the next Chinese Ambassador to Australia, as early as July 16th, the Australian Financial Review website quoted three diplomatic sources in Canberra stating that Liu Jingsong, the outgoing Director of the Asian Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is expected to succeed Xiao Qian.
The Sydney Morning Herald website also reported on the 28th that Liu Jingsong will take over as the Chinese Ambassador to Australia.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ official website’s “Organizational Structure” section shows that the position of Director of the Asian Affairs Department is currently held by former Chinese Ambassador to Mongolia, Shen Minjuan, and Liu Jingsong’s name has been removed.
Public records show that the 54-year-old Liu Jingsong entered the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1993 and has served as a Chinese diplomat in Thailand, Japan, the UK, and India. He became the Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan in 2018 and was appointed Director of the Policy Planning Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in July 2019. From July 2021, he served as the Director of the Asian Affairs Department.
During Liu Jingsong’s tenure as Director of the Asian Affairs Department, Sino-Japanese relations became severely tense due to Japanese Prime Minister Takashi Watanabe’s remarks in November 2025 suggesting that a crisis over Taiwan could pose an existential threat to Japan.
On November 18th last year, during a director-level consultation between China and Japan, Liu Jingsong demanded that Japan withdraw these remarks, which was refused by Kinai Masaaki, Director of the Asian and Oceania Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After the meeting, as Kinai left, Liu Jingsong not only had his hands in his pockets but also looked down at him. Screenshots of the incident quickly circulated on social media, sparking criticism.
Some analysts believe that the Chinese side released the edited video to embarrass the Japanese. Many voices also criticized Chinese diplomats for displaying a thuggish mentality by disregarding basic etiquette during important diplomatic occasions, stating that they are not qualified to represent China and the Chinese people.