Ma Zhaoxu
Encyclopedia
Ma Zhaoxu is the spokesman
for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of the People's Republic of China
(PRC), as well as the director-general
of its Information Department.
Province. He graduated from Peking University
with a degree in international relations
. In 1986, he participated in the inaugural Asian college students debating competition organized by the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation
(SBC) and won the "best debater" award, becoming well known to PRC college students at the time.
Ma joined the Foreign Affairs Ministry in 1987 and served in various departments and embassies, including counselor at the PRC embassy in the United Kingdom
from 2001 to 2002 and counselor at the PRC embassy in Belgium
from 2002 to 2004. He was appointed deputy director of the Policy
Planning Department in 2004 and director in 2006. In January 2009, he replaced Liu Jianchao
as the director-general of the Information Department as well as the head spokesperson of the ministry.
Ma is married with one daughter.
Recently, there has been some controversy surrounding Ma Zhaoxu's statement “there are no dissidents in China”, while China responds disapprovingly to the Nobel prize having been awarded to incarcerated Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.
Spokesman
A spokesperson or spokesman or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others.In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have received formal training in journalism, communications, public relations and...
for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China is an executive agency responsible for foreign relations between the People's Republic of China and other countries in the world. The agency is led by the Foreign Minister. The current minister is Yang Jiechi...
of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
(PRC), as well as the director-general
Director-general
The term director-general is a title given the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution.-European Union:...
of its Information Department.
Biography
Ma Zhaoxu was born in September 1963 in HeilongjiangHeilongjiang
For the river known in Mandarin as Heilong Jiang, see Amur River' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. "Heilongjiang" literally means Black Dragon River, which is the Chinese name for the Amur. The one-character abbreviation is 黑...
Province. He graduated from Peking University
Peking University
Peking University , colloquially known in Chinese as Beida , is a major research university located in Beijing, China, and a member of the C9 League. It is the first established modern national university of China. It was founded as Imperial University of Peking in 1898 as a replacement of the...
with a degree in international relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
. In 1986, he participated in the inaugural Asian college students debating competition organized by the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation
Singapore Broadcasting Corporation
Singapore Broadcasting Corporation was a partially privatised mass market media conglomeration, which dominated the entire television and most of the radio broadcasting industry in Singapore during its existence...
(SBC) and won the "best debater" award, becoming well known to PRC college students at the time.
Ma joined the Foreign Affairs Ministry in 1987 and served in various departments and embassies, including counselor at the PRC embassy in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
from 2001 to 2002 and counselor at the PRC embassy in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
from 2002 to 2004. He was appointed deputy director of the Policy
Policy
A policy is typically described as a principle or rule to guide decisions and achieve rational outcome. The term is not normally used to denote what is actually done, this is normally referred to as either procedure or protocol...
Planning Department in 2004 and director in 2006. In January 2009, he replaced Liu Jianchao
Liu Jianchao
Liu Jianchao is the current Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the Philippines. He was formerly the chief spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the former director-general of its Information Department.-Biography:...
as the director-general of the Information Department as well as the head spokesperson of the ministry.
Ma is married with one daughter.
Recently, there has been some controversy surrounding Ma Zhaoxu's statement “there are no dissidents in China”, while China responds disapprovingly to the Nobel prize having been awarded to incarcerated Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.