Photo: U.S. Department of Agriculture / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)

Cui Tiankai

崔天凱　/　さい・てんがい

Politician from People's Republic of China

October 1, 1952 (age 73)　・　Shanghai, People's Republic of China

politician
diplomat

My Take

Cui Tiankai held one of the hardest diplomatic posts imaginable, and his record as the longest-serving Chinese Ambassador to the United States tells me he was trusted to manage that relationship through genuinely turbulent years. Eight years from 2013 to 2021 spans an era when US-China ties grew sharply more adversarial, so his durability in the role signals real skill at staying steady amid pressure. A Shanghai native educated at East China Normal University, he embodied the polished, career-diplomat archetype Beijing sends to its most sensitive postings. I read his longevity less as comfort and more as evidence he was considered indispensable to a delicate, deteriorating dialogue.

Overview

Cui Tiankai (Chinese: 崔天凯; pinyin: Cuī Tiānkǎi; born October 1952) is a Chinese diplomat and was the longest-serving Chinese Ambassador to the United States, a role he filled from April 2013 to June 2021.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

1. Profile

Name (English): Cui Tiankai
Name (Japanese): 崔天凱
Reading: さい・てんがい
Born: October 1, 1952 (age 73)
Zodiac / Chinese zodiac: Libra / Dragon
Origin: Shanghai, People's Republic of China
Blood type: Private
Height: Private
Agency: Private
Occupation: politician / diplomat

2. Background

Elementary school: Private
Junior high: Private
High school: Private
University: East China Normal University

3. Relationships

Spouse: Private
Children: Private
Parents: Private
Siblings: Private

4. Personality

Motto

Private

6. Links

Xhttps://x.com/AmbCuiTiankai
Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B4%94%E5%A4%A9%E5%87%B1

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