So what's the difference between the ranks and functions of these diplomats? We analyze them one by one:
First, the ambassador.
The ambassador is the head of the embassy abroad, and his full name is ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary. He can only go abroad with the consent of the highest authority of the host country and the appointment of the head of state, and he also needs the consent of the host country.
When an ambassador performs his duties in the host country, he represents the highest national interests of the host country and the will of the head of state. Mainly engaged in cooperation between the two countries to resolve their differences and contradictions.
When necessary, the ambassador can always ask to meet with the head of state of the host country or senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss specific matters. Only ambassadors are qualified to exercise this power. However, it is also worth noting that the ambassador is nominally extraordinary and plenipotentiary, but it does not mean that he can exercise the privilege of "acting cheaply and arbitrarily" like the ancient imperial envoys. The ambassador must report to the country at all times.
As far as the level of ambassadors is concerned, most of them are directors, and a few are deputy ministers and deputy directors. Among the vice-ministerial ambassadors, only China's ambassadors to the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, North Korea, India, Brazil and Japan belong to the vice-ministerial level. For example, Luo Zhaohui, the former Indian ambassador to China, became the Deputy Foreign Minister directly after he left office, which is called leveling.
For countries with little communication and influence, ambassadors abroad are generally deputy directors. For example, He Xiangdong, the former ambassador of China to South Sudan, was transferred from the position of deputy mayor of Lanzhou, and the level of deputy mayor was deputy director.
The second is the minister.
The minister belongs to the second-in-command of the embassy abroad and concurrently serves as the deputy director of the embassy, usually with the title of "ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary". Earlier, there was a legation, which was the head of diplomatic institutions abroad, but now it has gradually disappeared.
At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway and other Nordic countries recognized the new China one after another. At first, they did not establish diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level. Diplomats appointed by both sides are ambassadors. For example, after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Finland, China's ambassador to Sweden, General Geng Biao, served as the ambassador to Finland. At this time, Geng Biao was the first head of China's diplomatic mission in Finland.
Today's minister has become the ambassador's main assistant. When the ambassador is unable to perform his duties, such as leaving his post, taking a vacation or returning to China, the minister usually acts as the agent as the first person in charge of the embassy. For example, after China's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs, Ambassador Liu Xiaoming, left his post as ambassador to the UK, the first person in charge of the Chinese Embassy in the UK was China's ambassador to the UK, Yang Xiaoguang, who also served as the charge d 'affaires.
Apart from the differences in diplomatic courtesy, both ministers and ambassadors enjoy diplomatic immunity.
The third is the Counsellor.
Counsellors are generally divided into political counsellors, business counselor, cultural counsellors, scientific counsellors, educational counsellors, military attaché s, etc. They are responsible persons sent by various departments of the country and have certain professionalism. They fully assisted the ambassadors in dealing with various problems in the process of cooperation between the two countries and became their right-hand men.
Among them, the military attache is special. Although his diplomatic status is lower than that of minister and counsellor, among all diplomats abroad, only ambassadors and military attaché s can be sent after the consent of the host country is required. And the rank of military attache is different. Foreign military attaché s are basically lieutenant colonel or major, while our military attaché s are mostly senior colonel, and a few embassies are stationed as major generals and colonels.
For example, Huang Daming, the defense attache of China's embassy in Timor-Leste, is only a colonel; Military attaché s stationed in the United States, Japan, Russia, Egypt, North Korea and other big countries are generally major generals.
The fourth is the secretary's attache.
The secretary of the embassy is divided into three grades, namely, first secretary, second secretary, third secretary and attache. They are the backbone of the embassy work and need to do a lot of things. Usually they are young people who have just entered the diplomatic system and belong to the lowest-ranking diplomats in foreign embassies. Many diplomats in China basically have experience as secretaries and attaché s of embassies abroad.
For example, Zhang, the current ambassador to Russia, once served as attache and third secretary of the embassy in the Kyrgyz Republic; Liu Xiaoming, the former ambassador to Britain, served as the second secretary and first secretary of the ambassador to the United States.
The first secretary, the second secretary and the third secretary here are not the personal secretaries of the ambassador, but the business backbones of various departments in the embassy, and some of them may be the heads of an office of the embassy, shouldering the important responsibilities of studying, practicing and handling foreign affairs.
However, we found that apart from embassies abroad, China also has consulates abroad, such as the Consulate General of China in Busan and the Consulate General of China in Los Angeles.
So, are ambassadors of foreign embassies and consuls of foreign consulates the same thing?
Actually, there is a big difference between an ambassador and a consul.
First of all, the ambassador represents the national will of the host country, enjoys high diplomatic courtesy and needs to submit credentials to the head of state of the host country; Consul General is only the head of the official representative office sent by the host country to a certain place in the host country. He can only submit a letter of appointment to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the host country, and can only deal with the local government within the consular jurisdiction, and cannot surpass the head of state and other institutions or officials with higher status in the host country.
Secondly, embassies abroad are equivalent to the territory of the host country and are sacred and inviolable. Even if there is a fire accident in the embassy, the fire department of the host country cannot enter the embassy at will without the consent of the ambassador. On the other hand, consulates cannot enjoy extensive privileges or diplomatic immunity like embassies.
In other words, ambassadors belong to national-level representatives abroad, while consuls are only local-level representatives abroad, with different authorities, different levels and different diplomatic courtesy.