Wang Wenbin

Wang Wenbin (born April 1971) is a Chinese politician and diplomat who currently serves as the Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia. He was formerly a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, deputy director of the Foreign Ministry Information Department, and currently a member of the Chinese Communist Party. He is the 32nd spokesperson since the position was established in the ministry back in 1983. He served as the Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia from 2018 to 2020, and has worked in Chinese embassies in Mauritius and Senegal.

Wang is known as a wolf warrior diplomat for his defense of the Chinese government and his opposition to criticism of it. As a spokesman of the Chinese foreign ministry, he rejected the United States' claim that the Taiwan Strait is international waters and was known for his controversial statements on the South China Sea dispute.

Biography
Wang was born in Anhui, China in April 1971. He attended Nanjing Jinling High School. In 1989 he entered China Foreign Affairs University, where he majored in French. After graduation, he was assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He served in various diplomatic positions including deputy director and director of the Policy Research Office, political counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in the Republic of Mauritius, counsellor of the Department of Policy Planning, and deputy director of the Department of Policy Planning. He was designated by 13th Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in May 2018 to replace Bian Yanhua as Ambassador to Tunisia. On 17 July 2020, he was appointed the spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, succeeding Geng Shuang.

On May 24, 2024, on his press briefing at the foreign ministry, he ended the session with his "farewell" to the position. On June 4, 2024, Wang was assigned as a Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia as confirmed by the China International Development Cooperation Agency. He was appointed as ambassador on 5 July.

Official statements
In February 2021, Wang called Uyghur genocide the "lie of the century". In September 2022, he described the UN report about the genocide as "completely illegal", stating that it is a "patchwork of disinformation" by the U.S. and Western forces to "contain China".

After a resolution about disqualifying lawmakers who support Hong Kong independence was passed, on November 2020, four lawmakers were dismissed. Wang stated their disqualification is "rational, reasonable and in line with the constitution and laws". In December 2022, he said that Beijing supported the "resolute defence of the national anthem’s dignity," in reference to Glory to Hong Kong being highly ranked on Google when searching for the national anthem of Hong Kong.

In February 2023, in response to the 2023 Chinese balloon incident, Wang said that "Since last year alone, US balloons have illegally flown above China more than 10 times without any approval from Chinese authorities."

South China Sea dispute
On March 2024, Wang Wenbin told Seoul's government to not interfere with the South China Sea dispute after South Korea's concerns over the collision of Chinese and Filipino coastguard vessels on Second Thomas Shoal. On the same month, the Philippines expelled Chinese diplomats over an alleged leaked telephone call with a Filipino admiral about the South China Sea. As a response, Wang later made an official statement calling these actions "provocations" on the dispute.

On April 1, 2024, he stated that the Philippines' policies on the South China Sea will not affect their maritime rights and China's sovereignty. This statement was made after Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. ordered his government to strengthen the country's maritime security.

Personal life
Wang is married and has a daughter.

Due to his personality as a diplomat, he gained a huge following on Chinese social media and several forums referred to him as "Uncle Wang".