Mao Ning (diplomat)

Mao Ning (born December 1972) is a Chinese diplomat. As an official of the Chinese Communist Party, she has been serving as the spokeswoman and deputy director of information at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs since September 2022.

Prior to being selected for the Ministry's chief spokesperson position, Mao has been engaged in diplomatic work for over 27 years, primarily working in the country's Asian affairs.

Early life and education
Mao was born in Xiangtan, Hunan, in 1972, reportedly hailing from the same Chinese clan as Mao Zedong by the genealogy book.

In 1993, she graduated from Hunan Normal University in Changsha with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English. In 1995, she graduated from China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing with a Bachelor of Laws, majoring in Diplomacy. In 2006, she graduated from George Washington University in the United States with a Master of International Policy and Practice.

Career
Mao joined the Foreign Service of China in August 1995 and has served primarily in the Asia Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She was deputy secretary-general of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat in May 2011 and held that office until May 2013, when she was appointed as the counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in the United States. She was recalled to the original department in November 2015, and was eventually promoted to deputy director in November 2017.

She was selected as the vice mayor of Leshan in June 2020 and was later admitted to be a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Leshan Municipal Committee, the city's top authority.

On 5 September 2022, she became the Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman. Concurrently, she is also a delegate representing Chaoyang District at the Standing Committee of Beijing Municipal People's Congress.

In January 2023, after some countries imposed mandatory PCR testing on travellers from China, Mao stated that the implementation of such a policy "lacks scientific basis and some practices are unacceptable" and that the Chinese government could "take countermeasures based on the principle of reciprocity" amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, which began from the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019.

In January 2024, after President of the Philippines Bongbong Marcos congratulated President of Taiwan candidate Lai Ching-te on his victory at the 2024 Taiwan presidential election, Mao said at a press briefing that Marco's comments represent "a serious violation of the One China principle" and "a gross interference in China's internal affairs." She also stated that "President Marcos read more books to properly understand the ins and outs of the Taiwan issue, so as to draw the right conclusions." In response to Mao's comments, Secretary of National Defense of the Philippines Gilberto Teodoro said that Mao "stooped to such low and gutter level talk—resorting to insulting our President and the Filipino nation, and further debasing herself, the Ministry, and Party she represents in the process."