(1930.10.8-) Vice Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, People's Republic of China (1988.4-1998.3)

Born in Raoyang County, Hebei Province, Tian Zengpei studied in the Foreign Language Department of Nankai University. In the early years of the People's Republic, he studied in the Central School of the Communist Youth League of the Soviet Union. After returning to China, he worked in North China Working Committee of the Communist Youth League of China and other functions. After joining Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he held a series of posts, including Section Chief and Director of the Political Department of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Director, Director, and Deputy Director General (1973.1-1976.11) of the Department of Affairs of Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, Counsellor in the Chinese Embassy in the Soviet Union (1976.11-1981.5), Minister-Counsellor in the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia (1982.3-1984.1), Ambassador to Czechoslovakia (1984.4-1985.3), Director General of the Department of Affairs of Soviet Union and East Europe (1985.3-1986.11), and Ambassador to Yugoslavia (1986.11-1988.4). During his tenure of vice-foreign minister, in the capacity of the special envoy of the Chinese government, he consulted with the special envoy of the government of the Soviet Union about the normalization of the diplomatic relations between China and the Soviet Union from June 1988 to February 1989. From 1988 to 1989, as head of the Chinese government delegation, he participated in the boundary negotiations between China and the Soviet Union. From September 1991 to the beginning of 1992, he paid visits to the newly independent countries consecutively, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyz, and Turkmenistan and concluded joint communiqués or agreements on the establishment of diplomatic relations with these countries respectively. In October 1992, in the capacity of head of the Chinese government delegation, he held talks in Beijing with the joint delegation of the governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz, Russia, and Tajikistan, headed by the vice foreign minister of Russia, on the boundary between China and the four countries above mentioned. In November of the year, he had talks in Beijing on disarmament in the border areas and strengthening trust in the military field between China and the above-mentioned four countries. In Octobers of 1994 and 1995, in the capacity of head of the Chinese government delegation, he attended the first and the second economic leaders' meeting of Middle, East, and North Africa, respectively held in Morocco and Jordan. During the later period of his tenure of vice-foreign minister, he was in charge of the executive work of Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He paid visits to countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. He is member of the 14th Central Committee of the CPC.