Lu Qiutian

Lu Qiutian is a Chinese diplomat and scholar. Born in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, he graduated from the China Foreign Affairs University in 1961 and subsequently entered China's diplomatic service. Over a career spanning more than four decades, he served extensively in Europe, including as China's first ambassador to Germany, and later held senior advisory and academic positions in the field of international relations.

Biography Lu Qiutian began his diplomatic career in 1961 after graduating from the China Foreign Affairs University. He was posted three times to the Chinese embassy in the Netherlands, where he spent a total of fourteen years. Over the course of his career, he accumulated twenty-eight years of diplomatic service in Europe, successively serving as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Luxembourg, Romania, and Germany. In 1995, he was appointed ambassador to Romania, and in 1997 he became China's first ambassador to Germany following the establishment of diplomatic relations with the unified German state.

From 2002 to 2006, Lu served as president of the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs, and subsequently became its honorary president. During and after his tenure, he was actively involved in promoting public diplomacy initiatives, including Sino-German youth dialogue and cultural exchanges between China and Europe. Beginning in 2010, he participated in online discussions on international affairs hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Following his retirement from frontline diplomacy, Lu continued to contribute to foreign policy research and public discourse. He became a member and special researcher of the International Affairs Advisory Group of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a consultant to the National Party Building Research Association, and a senior advisor to the China Institute of International Strategic Studies.