Hong Lei (diplomat)

In this Chinese name, the family name is Hong.
Hong Lei
洪磊
Hong in 2016
Director-General of the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office
February 2019
Preceded byQin Gang
Chinese Consul-General to Chicago
In office
22 July 2016 – 28 August 2018
Preceded byZhao Weiping
Succeeded byLiu Jun
Deputy Director of the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
In office
November 2010 – July 2016
Preceded byQin Gang
Succeeded byHua Chunying
Personal details
BornAugust 1969 (age 55–56)
Fuyang, Zhejiang, China
Political partyChinese Communist Party
Alma materBeijing Language and Culture University

Hong Lei (Chinese: 洪磊; pinyin: Hóng Leǐ; born August 1969) is a Chinese diplomat and politician, serving as Director-General of the Department of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was Chinese Consul General in Chicago from 2016 to 2018 and served as spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2010 to 2016.[1] Hong was the 25th spokesperson since the spokesperson system was established in the ministry in 1983.

Biography

Hong (right) with US Ambassador to China David Perdue, May 2025

A native of Fuyang, Zhejiang, Hong Lei graduated from Beijing Language and Culture University in 1991. After college, he was appointed as an official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and worked in the Information Department and served abroad at the Chinese embassy in the Netherlands and the consulate general in San Francisco. From 2010 to 2016, he held the post of Deputy Director‑General of the Information Department and was spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs—the 25th in this role.[2]

He was appointed Consul General of China in Chicago in 2016, serving until 2018.[3] That year, he returned to take up leadership in the Protocol Department, becoming Deputy Director‑General and then Director‑General in 2019.[4][5] In 2023, the Taliban's foreign ministry announced that Hong had accepted their ambassador's credentials. China became the first country to host a Taliban ambassador since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021. Hong noted this as an important step between the relations of China and Afghanistan.[6]

In October 2024, he was appointed Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs.[4][5][7]

Official statements

After US concerns over Chinese government crackdown on dissent in 2011, Hong, as MFA spokesman, urged the United States to stop interfering with other countries' affairs and "to reflect on its own human rights issues."[8] In May 2012, he referred to the Chen Guangcheng case in a news briefing stating that the "US side should draw a lesson from the relevant incident with a responsible attitude" and "take necessary measures to prevent similar incidents."[9] When asked if Chen should return to China after his escape to the US, Hong replied that he should abide to Chinese laws and regulations due to him being a Chinese citizen.[10]

In 2013, he commented that "relevant media should tell right from wrong" after 140,000 Chinese web users voted in an online petition to ban CNN in China.[11]

In January 2016, Hong urged the Philippines to increase their "education and indoctrination" of Filipino fisherman regarding the South China Sea. He stated that three Filipino fishing boats have illegally entered the Scarborough Shoal and did not abide by China's management. Hong defended the actions made by China's coast guard saying that it is in "accordance with the law".[12]

References

  1. ^ "外交部原发言人洪磊任中国驻芝加哥总领事". The Paper. Retrieved 2016-07-23.
  2. ^ "洪磊曾任第25位外交部发言人". The Paper (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved 2025-07-19.
  3. ^ "July 22, 2016: Mr. Hong Lei Named New Consul General » America China Society of Indiana (ACSI)". America China Society of Indiana (ACSI). 2016-07-22. Retrieved 2025-07-19.
  4. ^ a b "洪磊任外交部礼宾司司长履新部长助理". The Paper (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved 2025-07-19.
  5. ^ a b "洪磊任外交部部长助理". Caixin (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved 2025-07-19.
  6. ^ "Afghan Taliban Say China Becomes First Nation to Accept Their Ambassador". Voice of America. 2023-12-01. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
  7. ^ "Diplomatic profile: Hong Lei". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved 2025-07-19.
  8. ^ "China tells US: Stop preaching on human rights". BBC News. 2011-04-10. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
  9. ^ Lawrence, Susan V.; Lum, Thomas. "U.S.-China Diplomacy Over Chinese Legal Advocate Chen Guangcheng". www.everycrsreport.com. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  10. ^ "China Urges Exiled Dissident to Follow Chinese Law". Voice of America. 2012-05-21. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  11. ^ Qi, Li; Paquette, Danielle; Lamy, Obed; Lamothe, Dan; Hax, Carolyn; Walker, A. Camden; Heil, Emily (2014-05-19). "Why 140,000 Chinese people want to kick out CNN". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
  12. ^ "China Defends Ship's Action in South China Sea". Voice of America. 2015-02-05. Retrieved 2025-01-17.


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