Guan Zihuai

Guan Zihuai (; born 1934), also known as Weifang (), is a Chinese diplomat and former ambassador who served as Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Oman and Kuwait, and concurrently as the first Chinese ambassador accredited to Bahrain. Following his retirement, he served as Vice President of the China-Arab Exchange Association and held advisory roles in several governmental and strategic organizations.

Biography

Guan was born in 1934 in Fenghui, Shangyu, Shaoxing, Zhejiang. He joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1956. In 1953, he enrolled in the Department of Diplomacy at Renmin University of China and later continued his studies at China Foreign Affairs University, specializing in international relations and diplomatic affairs.

In April 1957, Guan graduated ahead of schedule and was assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China. Shortly afterward, he was posted to the Chinese Embassy in Egypt, where he worked while studying Arabic. He subsequently devoted more than twenty-six years to diplomatic work in Arab countries.

During his diplomatic career, Guan served successively as attaché at the Chinese Embassy in Iraq, third secretary and second secretary at the Chinese Embassy in South Yemen, and later held positions including deputy division director and division director in the Department of West Asian and North African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In 1982, Guan was appointed Minister-Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in the Yemen Arab Republic. In 1985, he became Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Oman. In September 1987, he was appointed Ambassador to Kuwait and later concurrently accredited as the first Chinese Ambassador to Bahrain. After the end of the Gulf War in early 1991, Guan was instructed to return immediately to Kuwait to oversee the restoration and resumption of operations at the Chinese Embassy.

Guan retired at the end of 1994. After retirement, he served as Vice President of the Association of Former Chinese Diplomats and acted as a special adviser to the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, senior adviser to the China Institute for International Strategic Studies, and adviser to China Petroleum Engineering Construction Corporation.

References

First concurrently accredited Ambassador to Bahrain
September 1987–November 1993