(2020-0297-F) Visits by Qian Qichen and Tany Jiaxuan

24 folders, approximately 433 pages

This collection contains non-electronic records related to the visits of foreign ministers of the People’s Republic of China, Qian Qichen and Tang Jiaxuan to the United States or visits by administration officials overseas with Qian and Tang. Records open in this collection are from the National Security Council (NSC) staff and office files as well as the NSC’s Records Management System.

The materials in FOIA 2020-0297-F are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related material. The researcher submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for textual records related to the visits of foreign ministers of the People’s Republic of China, Qian Qichen and Tang Jiaxuan to the United States or visits by administration officials overseas with Qian and Tang. Records open in this collection are from the National Security Council (NSC) staff and office files as well as the NSC’s Records Management System including press points, press conference transcripts, administrative paperwork related to records management, and scheduling proposals. Qian Qichen was Vice Premier and Foreign Minister of China. He served as Foreign Minister from April 12, 1988, to March 18, 1998. During this period, he was also named as Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China (March 25, 1993 - March 6, 2003) and appointed to the Politburo. Qian was born January 5, 1928, in Tianjin. He joined the Communist party in 1942. In 1954, Qian was appointed to serve in the Chinese embassy in Moscow. He returned to China in 1962 and continued to climb the foreign policy ladder until being named foreign minister in 1988. He served as Foreign Minister until 1998 and retired from all public service in 2003. Qian died in Beijing May 9, 2017. Tang Jiaxuan was the eighth Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China. He took office March 18, 1998. There is little known about Tang. He was born January 17, 1938, in the eastern Chinese city of Zhenjiang. Like Qian he served for many years in lower levels of the Chinese foreign service, primarily in Japan. Under Qian, Tang was appointed as Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1991 and the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1993. Following his service as the Foreign Minister, Tang was appointed in March 2003 to the post of State Councilor. He retired in 2008. A significant number of records in this collection remain closed as national security information.

Textual

Records that are responsive to this FOIA request were found in these collection areas—Clinton Presidential Records: Staff and Office Files and Clinton Presidential Records: NSC Cable, Email, and Records Management Systems. Staff and Office files were maintained at the folder level by staff members within their individual offices and document all levels of administration activity.

Collection is open to all researchers. Access to Clinton Presidential Records is governed by the Presidential Records Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. Chapter 22, as amended) and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552, as amended) and therefore records may be restricted in whole or in part in accordance with legal exemptions.

Official records of William Jefferson Clinton’s presidency are housed at the Clinton Presidential Library and administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) under the provisions of the Presidential Records Act (PRA).

Staff Archivist, 2022. Previously restricted materials are added as they are released.

The following is a list of documents and folders processed in response to FOIA 2020-0297-F:
Box 1
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
Counselor to the President
Gergen, David
China Trip - Christopher, March 14, 1994 [OA/ID 3867]
National Security Council
Asian Affairs
Lieberthal, Kenneth
[China] - Tang Jiaxuan Visit, October 1, 1998 [OA/ID 2425]
Smith, Holly
[China] - Albright Meeting with Tang Jiaxuan, July 25, 1999 [OA/ID 2970]
Executive Secretary
Itoh, William
Qian Qichen, October 3, 1994 [OA/ID 825]
Clinton Presidential Records: NSC Cable, Email, and Records Management System
NSC Records Management System
[Qian Qichen]
9309245 [OA/ID 174]
9407901 [OA/ID 2298]
9407910 [OA/ID 215]
9408010 [OA/ID 481]
9408107 [OA/ID 481]
9408129 [OA/ID 216]
9408854 [OA/ID 220]
9702295 [OA/ID 1611]
9702693 [OA/ID 1614]
9702884 [OA/ID 1616]
9703152 [OA/ID 1619]
9703153 [OA/ID 1619]
9705754 [OA/ID 1637]
9803376 [OA/ID 2035]
0007071 [OA/ID 4112]
[Tang Jiaxuan]
9806062 [OA/ID 2057]
9806520 [OA/ID 2060]
9806595 [OA/ID 2060]
9806725 [OA/ID 2061]
9807156 [OA/ID 2065]