Bai Xiangguo | |
---|---|
白相国 | |
Minister of Foreign Trade | |
In office July 1970 – October 1973 | |
Preceded by | Lin Haiyun (acting) |
Succeeded by | Li Qiang |
Personal details | |
Born | June 1918 Penglai, Shandong, China |
Died | 7 August 1991 Beijing, China | (aged 73)
Political party | Chinese Communist Party |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Chinese Communist Party People's Republic of China |
Branch/service | People's Liberation Army |
Bai Xiangguo (Chinese: 白相国; Wade–Giles: Pai Hsiang-kuo; June 1918 – 7 August 1991) was a Chinese military officer and politician. A career officer of the People's Liberation Army with the rank of colonel, he was sent to the Ministry of Foreign Trade to restore order after the chaos of the early Cultural Revolution, and served as Minister of Foreign Trade from July 1970 to October 1973. He visited dozens of countries in that capacity, and led the first official Chinese delegation to France in 1971 after the two countries established diplomatic relations, which was also the PRC's first minister-level delegation to visit Western Europe. He was dismissed in 1973 and returned to the military to serve as Deputy Director of the PLA General Logistics Department.