Lin Jian, the newly appointed 34th spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, meets the press. Photo: Courtesy of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Lin Jian, the newly appointed 34th spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, formally met with Chinese and foreign media reporters and chaired the regular press conference held on Monday.

"Hello, friends from the media. I'm Lin Jian," Lin greeted the reporters after being introduced by his colleague Mao Ning. Lin said that he will learn from his predecessors and colleagues, and work together to elaborate timely and accurately China's diplomatic policies, ideas and actions. 

"I hope to communicate with you in a genuinely way and cooperate to promote the mutual understanding between China and the world, helping the world understand China in the new era and making efforts in promoting the peace and development," the new spokesperson said. 

Before inaugurating as a deputy director-general of the department of press, communication and public diplomacy of the ministry, Lin has worked at the Chinese Embassy in Denmark, the Chinese Embassy in Poland and at the Department of European Affairs of the ministry. 

Lin was graduated from Wuhan Foreign Languages School in Central China's Hubei Province in 1995 and was recommended to the English department of Beijing Foreign Studies University. 

After graduation, Lin was selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for studies in Denmark and was later assigned to the Political Section of the Chinese Embassy in Denmark. Subsequently, he has held positions such as Political Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Poland and Counselor at the Department of European Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

According to a Hubei-based Changjiang Times, while at the Political Section of the Chinese Embassy in Denmark, Lin researched the host country's policies and trends, producing research reports used for policy analyses. Additionally, he played a role in facilitating some cooperative projects.

Through their research, Lin and his colleagues learned from Denmark's clean energy initiatives, leading to the launch of a bio-intelligent power generation demonstration project in East China's Shandong Province and assisting in establishing the largest Danish wind power company's plant in North China's Tianjin Municipality.

Regarding the frequent changes in his position, Lin said that "in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there's encouragement to become versatile employees, experiencing a variety of jobs."

In 2020, Lin was appointed as the Party Group Secretary and Director of the Corps' Foreign Affairs Office of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. He also received an honor certificate on local foreign affairs conference in December2020 in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs established its spokesperson system in 1983, becoming the first government department in China to implement such a system. Operating for 41 years without interruption, the system has become increasingly systematic, standardized and efficient. 

The ministry is also the only government department that holds regular press conference every working day, a practice that has received unanimous approval from various sectors both domestically and internationally.

Since 1983, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has seen 34 spokespersons. They have always been committed to introducing and explaining the concepts, guidelines and policies of China's diplomacy, safeguarding national sovereignty, security and dignity, enhancing the domestic and international understanding of China's foreign affairs, and promoting friendly cooperation between China and other countries around the world.

The development of the spokesperson system had accompanied the deepening process of China's reform and opening-up, matching the trend of progress of the times, the development trajectory of China's world relations and the mutual understanding needs between China and foreign countries, experts said.