Zhang Qun

Zhang Qun was born at the end of the 19th century in Huayang County, Sichuan Province (in 1965, Huayang County was annexed to Shuangli County). In 1907, after graduation, he entered the Tokyo Military Academy ( Japan ), where during his studies he met Huang Fu and the future leader of China, Chiang Kai-shek , who also tried to study in Tokyo , but did not enter the Academy.

In 1911 he was forced to interrupt his studies. At the call of Sun Yat-sen , who was also outside of China at that time, he returned to the Republic of China after the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution . Zhang Qun took part in the formation of the republic, but in 1915, after Yuan Shikai tried to return the country to the monarchy, he again left China to continue military studies. He returned to his homeland only in 1929.

In China at that time there was chaos and the collapse of the country, stopped by the efforts of Chiang Kai-shek. Zhang Qun joined the Kuomintang party and soon received an appointment as mayor of Shanghai , in this post he stayed for almost 3 years until January 6, 1932 . The new president of China, Lin Sen, who succeeded Chiang Kai-shek, sent Zhang Qun to Hubei , and in the summer of 1933 he became governor of the province.

In December 1935, Chiang Kai-shek again became the head of the Chinese government. He made State Minister of Foreign Affairs Zhang Qun. It was a very difficult political time, Japan controlled Manchuria . Many political forces in China realized that a real war would soon begin with their eastern neighbor. In the summer of 1937, this war began, Zhang Qun by this time resigned as minister and was first deputy prime minister at Chiang Kai-shek. After Kun Xiangxi became the new head of government, he remained in this post. In December 1939, once again, the Chinese government was headed by Chiang Kai-shek, and Zhang Qun did not retain a place in the new government.

In China at that time, besides the war with Japan, there was a Civil War - supporters of the central government fought with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and an army composed of Chinese subordinate to pro-Japanese governments . During this difficult time, President Lin Sen made Zhang Qun governor of his hometown of Sichuan . Zhang Qun managed to establish a dialogue with the Chinese Communists. This was facilitated by the entry into the Second World War of the USSR . At the end of hostilities in World War II, in the fall of 1945, fighting began between the government forces of China and the armed forces of the CCP.

Understanding the complexity of the situation due to the conflict in China and the Soviet Union’s unwillingness to stop politicians from the CCP, the United States began negotiations as a mediator ^[2] . Negotiations have been going on since November 1944 with varying success. The US delegation at the talks in 1946 was led by George Marshall , the CPC delegation Zhou Enlai , and the Nanking government delegation Zhang Qun, remembering his successful negotiations with these delegates earlier. However, this time the result was negative, negotiations were disrupted. The war in China continued.

Chinese President Chiang Kai-shek decided in the spring of 1947 to vacate the post of prime minister, and on April 23, Zhang Qun was appointed to this post. In this post, he did not achieve success and positive results; on May 28, 1948, he was replaced by Wen Wenhao.

After the defeat of the Republic of China in the Civil War, the government retreated to Taiwan and other neighboring islands and, in fact, founded a state with the capital in the city of Taipei ^[3] . Zhang Qun also appeared in Taiwan. Soon, he began political activity again.

From 1954 to 1972 he was Secretary of State under President Chiang Kai-shek. All this time he was responsible for the foreign policy of the Republic of China. Under him, it was the representatives of Taiwan who were at the UN . Later, they were replaced by diplomats of the PRC, shortly afterwards, Zhang Qun resigned. For a few years, he worked as an adviser to his son, Chiang Kai-shek Jiang Jingguo , when the latter was the head of government in Taiwan.

He died in December 1990 at the 102nd year of his life ^[4] . He was buried in Taipei.

• He is one of the nineteen previously acting leaders of the heads of state and government of the world who have lived more than a hundred years.
• Zhang Qun record holder among Chinese prime ministers and presidents as a long-liver .

• Large ribbon of a special class of the Order of the Diamond Star (1944)