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杨洁篪：现年63岁。曾是中国近30多年来最年轻的外交部长。他一再刷新“外交纪录”：1998年，成为50多年来除王海容之外最年轻的外交部副部长；2001年，出使华盛顿，成为中美建交28年来最年轻的驻美大使；2004年，美国洛杉矶世界事务委员会授予杨洁篪大使“年度杰出外交官”的称号，以表彰“杨洁篪在工作中的出色表现以及他在华盛顿为拓宽和加强中美关系所付出的努力”；2007年，被任命为外交部长；2013年3月，在第12届全国人大第一次会议上被任命为国务委员。
“他处理外交事务的分寸拿捏得当，有大局观、全局观和战略观，将是一位称职的外交部长”——这是国内外舆论对杨洁篪当选中国外交部长后的评价。“我将全力以赴，和其他外交人员一道，不辜负党和人民的重托，把外交工作搞好。”继任外交部长以来，低调、儒雅的杨洁篪一直努力践行着自己当时的承诺，在促进和平与可持续发展的道路上尽显峥嵘。
从上海小弄堂走出的外交官
新中国成立以后的第一个“五一”，杨洁篪在上海一个普通家庭里诞生。他的父亲给其起名为“洁篪”。随着杨洁篪的走马上任，这个原本生僻的汉字迅速成为媒体争相解释的关键字。据说，“篪”的由来是因为当年恰巧是中国农历虎年。按照传统的说法，属虎之人性猛，其父故在其虎字头上加一个“竹”字，意在让其“刚柔相济”。
1963年夏，杨洁篪考上了上海外国语学院（今上海外国语大学）附属中学，为自己奠定了未来10余年译员生涯最初的基石。随后，杨洁篪先入伊林学院，再到巴斯大学，最后来到伦敦经济和政治科学学院攻读国际关系专业，这是英国唯一一所将教学与科研集中在社会、政治、经济科学领域的顶尖学校。1975年夏，杨洁篪回到祖国，跨进了中华人民共和国外交部大门，在翻译室英文处开始了11年译员生涯。年轻外交官的历史就这样翻开了崭新的第一页。
“老虎杨”是怎样炼成的？
人才荟萃的翻译室号称中国译事界的“国家队”。在这里，杨洁篪从普通小科员升任至二等秘书。上世纪70年代后期以来，杨洁篪曾多次担任邓小平会见来访政要和各界名流时的英语翻译。在1977年，杨洁篪遇到了一个极为重要的机遇。这一年，曾经出任驻华联络处主任的乔治·布什因一向对华友好，被中国政府热情邀请访华。老布什访华期间，杨洁篪受命担任全程翻译。他出色地完成了任务，并与布什一家建立了相当好的私人友谊。当时布什的随行，也就是于10年后担任美驻华大使的李洁明先生回忆说：“我们每个人都喜欢他。”老布什则亲切地称他为“老虎杨”，这也成为了杨洁篪后来最有名的“绰号”。其实，老虎二字正是从他名中的“篪”字而来。事实证明，这段经历也成为了杨洁篪日后更好地从事外交工作的有利的条件，也成为他后来出使美国的重要背景。新加坡《联合早报》曾有过这样的评述：“如果说，老布什与中国的情感地带早已是绿荫一片，那么，应该有一份杨洁篪的功劳。”
上个世纪90年代第一个春天来临的时候，杨洁篪从翻译室调至美洲大洋洲司，担任参赞兼美国处处长，同年秋升任副司长。两年后，杨洁篪再次踏上美利坚的大地，来到熟悉的中国大使馆担任公使。1995年夏，杨洁篪出任外交部部长助理兼北美大洋洲司司长。他是继前驻日本大使馆公使唐家璇之后，第二位破格从公使升任部长助理的高级外交官。1998年2月后，他又历任外交部副部长、党组成员，中国驻美国大使等职。
2001年2月，杨洁篪被任命为中国第7任驻美国特命全权大使。然而，出任不久，他就遇到了一场严峻的考验。2001年4月，中美撞机事件猝然发生，在事件原委尚未调查清楚的情况下，美军太平洋司令部片面地把责任推卸给中国方面，并且以不容置疑的口吻要求中方立即释放被扣留的24名美军机组人员，中美关系顿时紧张起来。在此情势之下，第一线外交官如何应对变化，表达政府立场就变得非常重要。正因为如此，杨洁篪曾在一日之内4次奔走美国国务院、国会与中国驻美使馆之间，致力于化解美国方面对中国的敌意。同时，他还一天两次出现在美国的电视屏幕上，向美国公众阐述中方的看法。
在接受美国有线电视新闻网以下简称“CNN”）采访时，有些美国记者的追问堪称尖锐苛刻，但杨洁篪没有进行强硬的反驳。他把撞机这一复杂的政治事件做了这样的比拟：“有一个家庭，一所房子，一个前院，有一伙人总是在这家门前的街上开着车徘徊，不到你的前院，但就是日日夜夜、月月年年地在靠近前院的地方开来开去，家里有人出来查看，结果家人的车子被毁，人也失踪了。我认为，家人有权问到底发生了什么？做一些检查和调查。如果这种道理可以成立的话，我想美国人民能够做出非常公正的判断。”这种形象化的论说不仅赢得了美国民众的理解，也使他们见识了中国外交官的个人魅力。撞机事件后有项民意调查显示，在杨洁篪接受CNN专访之后，赞同美国政府向中国道歉者的比例大幅度增加，由最初不足20%增至50%以上。这场危机最终以美国驻华大使出面道歉而获得解决。这件事的较好处理，也成为杨洁篪外交生涯的一大亮点。美国国家公众电台在当年6月的一次节目中说：“如果有谁能够妥善协调中美之间的紧张关系，这个人非杨（洁篪）莫属。”
为促进和谐与可持续发展而努力
早在杨洁篪上任之前，中国外交就已经定下了基调，即用和谐的世界促进中国的和平发展，用中国的和平发展来推动世界更加和谐。对此，杨洁篪曾多次表示建设和谐世界是非常重要的外交理念。2011年6月15日，上海合作组织成立10周年纪念峰会在哈萨克斯坦首都阿斯塔纳召开。会议期间，杨洁篪发表了重要演讲。其中，他强调国际政治、经济秩序正面临深刻调整，恐怖主义、极端主义、分裂主义“三股势力”成为地区安全稳定的头号敌人。国家之间应当全面提升互信、开展互利合作、共同应对挑战。
近几年来，他奔走于世界各地，深切关注生态安全和可持续发展。2013年7月11日，杨洁篪陪同中国国家主席习近平出席了在华盛顿举办的中美绿色合作伙伴计划签字仪式。他在致辞中指出，始于2008年的中美绿色合作伙伴计划作为中美能源和环境十年合作框架下的创新机制，为中美两国地方政府、企业和研究机构间开展优势互补、互利共赢合作搭建了很好的平台。至今，该平台开展了很多有关生态保护的合作，这是中美外交合作关系中的典范。 “目前，两国已有18对绿色合作伙伴通过联合研究、项目示范、技术交流、能力建设等形式，在节能提效、清洁能源、生态环境保护和循环经济发展等方面开展了探索性和前瞻性的合作。今天，又有6对中美机构正式加入。”杨洁篪还强调，中美两国在气候变化和能源环境领域面临着许多共同挑战，也拥有广泛的共同利益和合作基础。“我们希望并相信，中美绿色合作伙伴计划一定能够为促进两国可持续发展和新型大国关系建设作出贡献。高度重视气候变化问题、大力推进生态文明建设的中国政府以后也会继续加强两国能源、环境等领域合作，造福两国和世界人民。
The Eventful
Life of the
”Tiger Foreign
Minister”
Reported by Gu Hui
Translated by Niu Shuangmei and Yang Tingyu
Yang Jiechi， 63-year-old， is the youngest foreign minister in over 30 years of China’s history. He kept breaking “the record of diplomacy”： In 1998， he became the second youngest vice foreign minister for over half a century next to Wang Hairong. In 2001， he served as the Chinese Ambassador to the United States， also the youngest holder of this position in 28 years ever since China and U.S.A. established diplomatic relations. In 2004， The U.S. Los Angeles World Affairs Council conferred the title of “the Best Diplomat of the Year” on him to commend “his outstanding work performance and his efforts in deepening and strengthening Sino-America relations during his stay in Washington”. In 2007， he was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. At the first plenary session of the 12th National People’s Congress in March 2013， Yang was elected as a State Councilor.
"His handling of foreign affairs is apt and prudent， and with his global view， critical and strategic thinking， he will be a competent foreign minister "is the media’s opinion in China and abroad upon his appointment as the foreign minister. "I will spare no efforts to devote myself to the course of foreign affairs and always keep the tasks given by our party and people in my mind together with my colleagues." Ever since he took up the position， Yang， with his low profile and gentle manners， has always strived to make true of his commitments and paid painstaking efforts to maintain peace and sustainable development.
A diplomat from a Shanghai alley
On the first May Day since the founding of new China， Yang was born into an average family in Shanghai. His father named him Jiechi since he was born in the year of tiger according to Chinese zodiac. According to traditional Chinese thinking， those who are born in tiger years are violent by nature， so his father named him “chi”（a variant of the Chinese character of "tiger"， but with a "bamboo" over it）， wishing that Yang could combine hardness with softness. With Yang's rise in political career， this seemingly obsolete Chinese character became a catchword whose meaning was discussed vigorously by the media for interpretation. In the summer of 1963， Yang was enrolled by the attached middle school of Shanghai Foreign Language College （today's Shanghai International Studies University）， which laid a foundation for his later over-a-decade career as an interpreter. Later， he attended Elaine College and University of Bath， and he learned at London School of Economics to study international relations， which was the only top university excelling at social， political and economic science academically in UK. In the summer of 1975， Yang returned to China and started his 11-year career as an interpreter in Department of Translation and Interpretation， Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Hence， the life of this young diplomat turned a new page.
How was he named--"Tiger Yang"
Boasting a great group of talented interpreters， Department of Translation and Interpretation， Ministry of Foreign Affairs is dubbed as the "National Team" of China's translation circle. Yang rose from the position of a section member to second secretary. Since late 1970s， Yang interpreted for Deng Xiaoping many times when Deng met with political dignitaries and world celebrities. In 1977， a precious chance was presented to Yang. The senior George Bush who served as the chief of United States Liaison to China then was invited to visit China for his friendliness towards China. Yang accompanied Bush for his whole trip as an interpreter. He accomplished the task successfully and established deep personal friendship with the Bush family. James R. Lilley， the then attaché of Bush， who served as the US ambassador to China 10 years later， recollected： "Everybody likes him". The senior George Bush called Yang "Tiger Yang" since he had "tiger" in his name， which became Yang's most famous nickname later. And this experience gives great help to Yang for him to be better engaged in foreign affairs and beefs up his qualification for his ambassadorship in U.S.A. The Singaporean newspaper Lianhe Zaobao ran an article about him saying： If we say George Bush had deep friendship with China， the credit should partly go to Yang.
At the onset of the first spring of 1990s， Yang was transferred from Department of Translation and Interpretation to the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs to serve as a counselor and head of America office. He was promoted to be Vice Director in that fall. Two years later， Yang again came to USA and served as an envoy in Chinese embassy for two years. In the summer of 1995， Yang served as a minister assistant to Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director of Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs. He was the second senior diplomat who jumped from an envoy to a minister assistant and after the former envoy to Japan Tang Jiaxuan. After February 1998， his positions included Vice Minister of Ministry of Foreign Affairs， Party Committee Member， and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to the United States of America In February， 2001， Yang Jiechi was appointed China's 7th ambassador to the United States. However， soon after he assumed his office， he met a serious test. In April， 2001， the China-US military plane collision happened unexpectedly. Before it was found out that what had happened， the U.S. Pacific Command one-sidedly shifted the responsibility to the Chinese side， and undoubtedly asked China to immediately release the detained 24 American crew members. China-US relations suddenly became nervous. Under this situation， how the forefront diplomat would express the standpoint of the government became very important. Therefore， Yang Jiechi ran four times in the same day between the U.S. Department of State， the congress and the Chinese embassy in the U.S.， to express China's standpoint and be committed to defuse hostility of the United States towards China. At the same time， he appeared twice a day on the United States television screen to expound China's views to the American public.
In the interview with CNN， some American journalists asked quite sharp and harsh questions， but Yang Jiechi did not give tough response. He did an analogy of this complex political collision： "there is a family with a house and a front yard. A group of people always drive on the street in front of the house. They do not drive into the front yard but near the front yard day and night and year after year. Then someone of the family comes out to have a check. As a result， the car of the family is destroyed and the other family members are missing. I believe that the family has the right to ask what is going on and do some inspections and surveys. If this point is reasonable， I think the American people can make very impartial judgment." This kind of pictorial statement not only won the understanding of the Americans， but also makes them know the personal charm of Chinese diplomats. A poll showed after the collision that after Yang Jiechi had the interview with CNN， the proportion of agreeing that the United States government apologized to the Chinese people greatly increased， from the original less than 20% to more than 50%. The crisis eventually settled in the apology of American ambassador to China. The event was properly dealt with， which also became a highlight of Yang Jiechi’s diplomatic career. U.S. National Public Radio Station said in a program in June that year： "if anyone can properly coordinate the tension between China and the United States， the person must be Yang （Jiechi）." Strive for promoting harmony and sustainable development
Long before Yang took office， China's diplomacy had set up the rules， namely to promote China's peaceful development with a harmonious world and to make a more harmonious world with China's peaceful development. In this aspect， Yang Jiechi repeatedly said it was a very important diplomatic idea to build a harmonious world. On June 15， 2011， the 10th Anniversary of the Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held in Astana， the capital of Kazakhstan. During the meeting， Yang Jiechi delivered an important speech. He stressed that the international political and economic order were facing a profound adjustment and "three forces" -- terrorism， extremism and separatism became the number one enemy of regional security and stability. Countries should enhance mutual trust， conduct mutually beneficial cooperation and jointly cope with challenges.
In recent years， he rushed around the world to deeply concern about ecological security and sustainable development. On July 11， 2013， Yang Jiechi， accompanying with Chinese President Xi Jinping， attended the signing ceremony of China-U.S. Green Partnership Project in Washington. He pointed out in his speech that from 2008， China-U.S. Green Partnership Project as the innovation mechanism under the framework of ten years’ energy and environmental cooperation， built a good platform for the local governments， enterprises and research institutions in both countries to carry out the mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation with complementary advantages. Up to now， this platform has carried out a lot of cooperation about ecological protection， which is the epitome of the Sino-US diplomatic relationship.
"At present， 18 green partners of the two countries through joint research， project demonstration， technical communication， capacity building and other forms carry out exploratory and forward-looking cooperation in energy conservation， clean energy， ecological environment protection， the circular economy development， and etc. Today， another six Sino-US institutions formally join in." Yang also stressed that China and the United States were faced with many common challenges in the field of climate change and energy environment and also had broadly common interests and cooperation basis. "We hope and believe that China-U.S. Green Partnership Project must be able to make great contributions to promoting sustainable development and constructing new-pattern relations between the two countries. China attaches great importance to the issues of climate change and vigorously promotes the building of ecological civilization. The Chinese government will continue to strengthen the cooperation in energy， environment and other areas to benefit both countries and the people of the world. "
“他处理外交事务的分寸拿捏得当，有大局观、全局观和战略观，将是一位称职的外交部长”——这是国内外舆论对杨洁篪当选中国外交部长后的评价。“我将全力以赴，和其他外交人员一道，不辜负党和人民的重托，把外交工作搞好。”继任外交部长以来，低调、儒雅的杨洁篪一直努力践行着自己当时的承诺，在促进和平与可持续发展的道路上尽显峥嵘。
从上海小弄堂走出的外交官
新中国成立以后的第一个“五一”，杨洁篪在上海一个普通家庭里诞生。他的父亲给其起名为“洁篪”。随着杨洁篪的走马上任，这个原本生僻的汉字迅速成为媒体争相解释的关键字。据说，“篪”的由来是因为当年恰巧是中国农历虎年。按照传统的说法，属虎之人性猛，其父故在其虎字头上加一个“竹”字，意在让其“刚柔相济”。
1963年夏，杨洁篪考上了上海外国语学院（今上海外国语大学）附属中学，为自己奠定了未来10余年译员生涯最初的基石。随后，杨洁篪先入伊林学院，再到巴斯大学，最后来到伦敦经济和政治科学学院攻读国际关系专业，这是英国唯一一所将教学与科研集中在社会、政治、经济科学领域的顶尖学校。1975年夏，杨洁篪回到祖国，跨进了中华人民共和国外交部大门，在翻译室英文处开始了11年译员生涯。年轻外交官的历史就这样翻开了崭新的第一页。
“老虎杨”是怎样炼成的？
人才荟萃的翻译室号称中国译事界的“国家队”。在这里，杨洁篪从普通小科员升任至二等秘书。上世纪70年代后期以来，杨洁篪曾多次担任邓小平会见来访政要和各界名流时的英语翻译。在1977年，杨洁篪遇到了一个极为重要的机遇。这一年，曾经出任驻华联络处主任的乔治·布什因一向对华友好，被中国政府热情邀请访华。老布什访华期间，杨洁篪受命担任全程翻译。他出色地完成了任务，并与布什一家建立了相当好的私人友谊。当时布什的随行，也就是于10年后担任美驻华大使的李洁明先生回忆说：“我们每个人都喜欢他。”老布什则亲切地称他为“老虎杨”，这也成为了杨洁篪后来最有名的“绰号”。其实，老虎二字正是从他名中的“篪”字而来。事实证明，这段经历也成为了杨洁篪日后更好地从事外交工作的有利的条件，也成为他后来出使美国的重要背景。新加坡《联合早报》曾有过这样的评述：“如果说，老布什与中国的情感地带早已是绿荫一片，那么，应该有一份杨洁篪的功劳。”
上个世纪90年代第一个春天来临的时候，杨洁篪从翻译室调至美洲大洋洲司，担任参赞兼美国处处长，同年秋升任副司长。两年后，杨洁篪再次踏上美利坚的大地，来到熟悉的中国大使馆担任公使。1995年夏，杨洁篪出任外交部部长助理兼北美大洋洲司司长。他是继前驻日本大使馆公使唐家璇之后，第二位破格从公使升任部长助理的高级外交官。1998年2月后，他又历任外交部副部长、党组成员，中国驻美国大使等职。
2001年2月，杨洁篪被任命为中国第7任驻美国特命全权大使。然而，出任不久，他就遇到了一场严峻的考验。2001年4月，中美撞机事件猝然发生，在事件原委尚未调查清楚的情况下，美军太平洋司令部片面地把责任推卸给中国方面，并且以不容置疑的口吻要求中方立即释放被扣留的24名美军机组人员，中美关系顿时紧张起来。在此情势之下，第一线外交官如何应对变化，表达政府立场就变得非常重要。正因为如此，杨洁篪曾在一日之内4次奔走美国国务院、国会与中国驻美使馆之间，致力于化解美国方面对中国的敌意。同时，他还一天两次出现在美国的电视屏幕上，向美国公众阐述中方的看法。
在接受美国有线电视新闻网以下简称“CNN”）采访时，有些美国记者的追问堪称尖锐苛刻，但杨洁篪没有进行强硬的反驳。他把撞机这一复杂的政治事件做了这样的比拟：“有一个家庭，一所房子，一个前院，有一伙人总是在这家门前的街上开着车徘徊，不到你的前院，但就是日日夜夜、月月年年地在靠近前院的地方开来开去，家里有人出来查看，结果家人的车子被毁，人也失踪了。我认为，家人有权问到底发生了什么？做一些检查和调查。如果这种道理可以成立的话，我想美国人民能够做出非常公正的判断。”这种形象化的论说不仅赢得了美国民众的理解，也使他们见识了中国外交官的个人魅力。撞机事件后有项民意调查显示，在杨洁篪接受CNN专访之后，赞同美国政府向中国道歉者的比例大幅度增加，由最初不足20%增至50%以上。这场危机最终以美国驻华大使出面道歉而获得解决。这件事的较好处理，也成为杨洁篪外交生涯的一大亮点。美国国家公众电台在当年6月的一次节目中说：“如果有谁能够妥善协调中美之间的紧张关系，这个人非杨（洁篪）莫属。”
为促进和谐与可持续发展而努力
早在杨洁篪上任之前，中国外交就已经定下了基调，即用和谐的世界促进中国的和平发展，用中国的和平发展来推动世界更加和谐。对此，杨洁篪曾多次表示建设和谐世界是非常重要的外交理念。2011年6月15日，上海合作组织成立10周年纪念峰会在哈萨克斯坦首都阿斯塔纳召开。会议期间，杨洁篪发表了重要演讲。其中，他强调国际政治、经济秩序正面临深刻调整，恐怖主义、极端主义、分裂主义“三股势力”成为地区安全稳定的头号敌人。国家之间应当全面提升互信、开展互利合作、共同应对挑战。
近几年来，他奔走于世界各地，深切关注生态安全和可持续发展。2013年7月11日，杨洁篪陪同中国国家主席习近平出席了在华盛顿举办的中美绿色合作伙伴计划签字仪式。他在致辞中指出，始于2008年的中美绿色合作伙伴计划作为中美能源和环境十年合作框架下的创新机制，为中美两国地方政府、企业和研究机构间开展优势互补、互利共赢合作搭建了很好的平台。至今，该平台开展了很多有关生态保护的合作，这是中美外交合作关系中的典范。 “目前，两国已有18对绿色合作伙伴通过联合研究、项目示范、技术交流、能力建设等形式，在节能提效、清洁能源、生态环境保护和循环经济发展等方面开展了探索性和前瞻性的合作。今天，又有6对中美机构正式加入。”杨洁篪还强调，中美两国在气候变化和能源环境领域面临着许多共同挑战，也拥有广泛的共同利益和合作基础。“我们希望并相信，中美绿色合作伙伴计划一定能够为促进两国可持续发展和新型大国关系建设作出贡献。高度重视气候变化问题、大力推进生态文明建设的中国政府以后也会继续加强两国能源、环境等领域合作，造福两国和世界人民。
The Eventful
Life of the
”Tiger Foreign
Minister”
Reported by Gu Hui
Translated by Niu Shuangmei and Yang Tingyu
Yang Jiechi， 63-year-old， is the youngest foreign minister in over 30 years of China’s history. He kept breaking “the record of diplomacy”： In 1998， he became the second youngest vice foreign minister for over half a century next to Wang Hairong. In 2001， he served as the Chinese Ambassador to the United States， also the youngest holder of this position in 28 years ever since China and U.S.A. established diplomatic relations. In 2004， The U.S. Los Angeles World Affairs Council conferred the title of “the Best Diplomat of the Year” on him to commend “his outstanding work performance and his efforts in deepening and strengthening Sino-America relations during his stay in Washington”. In 2007， he was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. At the first plenary session of the 12th National People’s Congress in March 2013， Yang was elected as a State Councilor.
"His handling of foreign affairs is apt and prudent， and with his global view， critical and strategic thinking， he will be a competent foreign minister "is the media’s opinion in China and abroad upon his appointment as the foreign minister. "I will spare no efforts to devote myself to the course of foreign affairs and always keep the tasks given by our party and people in my mind together with my colleagues." Ever since he took up the position， Yang， with his low profile and gentle manners， has always strived to make true of his commitments and paid painstaking efforts to maintain peace and sustainable development.
A diplomat from a Shanghai alley
On the first May Day since the founding of new China， Yang was born into an average family in Shanghai. His father named him Jiechi since he was born in the year of tiger according to Chinese zodiac. According to traditional Chinese thinking， those who are born in tiger years are violent by nature， so his father named him “chi”（a variant of the Chinese character of "tiger"， but with a "bamboo" over it）， wishing that Yang could combine hardness with softness. With Yang's rise in political career， this seemingly obsolete Chinese character became a catchword whose meaning was discussed vigorously by the media for interpretation. In the summer of 1963， Yang was enrolled by the attached middle school of Shanghai Foreign Language College （today's Shanghai International Studies University）， which laid a foundation for his later over-a-decade career as an interpreter. Later， he attended Elaine College and University of Bath， and he learned at London School of Economics to study international relations， which was the only top university excelling at social， political and economic science academically in UK. In the summer of 1975， Yang returned to China and started his 11-year career as an interpreter in Department of Translation and Interpretation， Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Hence， the life of this young diplomat turned a new page.
How was he named--"Tiger Yang"
Boasting a great group of talented interpreters， Department of Translation and Interpretation， Ministry of Foreign Affairs is dubbed as the "National Team" of China's translation circle. Yang rose from the position of a section member to second secretary. Since late 1970s， Yang interpreted for Deng Xiaoping many times when Deng met with political dignitaries and world celebrities. In 1977， a precious chance was presented to Yang. The senior George Bush who served as the chief of United States Liaison to China then was invited to visit China for his friendliness towards China. Yang accompanied Bush for his whole trip as an interpreter. He accomplished the task successfully and established deep personal friendship with the Bush family. James R. Lilley， the then attaché of Bush， who served as the US ambassador to China 10 years later， recollected： "Everybody likes him". The senior George Bush called Yang "Tiger Yang" since he had "tiger" in his name， which became Yang's most famous nickname later. And this experience gives great help to Yang for him to be better engaged in foreign affairs and beefs up his qualification for his ambassadorship in U.S.A. The Singaporean newspaper Lianhe Zaobao ran an article about him saying： If we say George Bush had deep friendship with China， the credit should partly go to Yang.
At the onset of the first spring of 1990s， Yang was transferred from Department of Translation and Interpretation to the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs to serve as a counselor and head of America office. He was promoted to be Vice Director in that fall. Two years later， Yang again came to USA and served as an envoy in Chinese embassy for two years. In the summer of 1995， Yang served as a minister assistant to Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director of Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs. He was the second senior diplomat who jumped from an envoy to a minister assistant and after the former envoy to Japan Tang Jiaxuan. After February 1998， his positions included Vice Minister of Ministry of Foreign Affairs， Party Committee Member， and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to the United States of America In February， 2001， Yang Jiechi was appointed China's 7th ambassador to the United States. However， soon after he assumed his office， he met a serious test. In April， 2001， the China-US military plane collision happened unexpectedly. Before it was found out that what had happened， the U.S. Pacific Command one-sidedly shifted the responsibility to the Chinese side， and undoubtedly asked China to immediately release the detained 24 American crew members. China-US relations suddenly became nervous. Under this situation， how the forefront diplomat would express the standpoint of the government became very important. Therefore， Yang Jiechi ran four times in the same day between the U.S. Department of State， the congress and the Chinese embassy in the U.S.， to express China's standpoint and be committed to defuse hostility of the United States towards China. At the same time， he appeared twice a day on the United States television screen to expound China's views to the American public.
In the interview with CNN， some American journalists asked quite sharp and harsh questions， but Yang Jiechi did not give tough response. He did an analogy of this complex political collision： "there is a family with a house and a front yard. A group of people always drive on the street in front of the house. They do not drive into the front yard but near the front yard day and night and year after year. Then someone of the family comes out to have a check. As a result， the car of the family is destroyed and the other family members are missing. I believe that the family has the right to ask what is going on and do some inspections and surveys. If this point is reasonable， I think the American people can make very impartial judgment." This kind of pictorial statement not only won the understanding of the Americans， but also makes them know the personal charm of Chinese diplomats. A poll showed after the collision that after Yang Jiechi had the interview with CNN， the proportion of agreeing that the United States government apologized to the Chinese people greatly increased， from the original less than 20% to more than 50%. The crisis eventually settled in the apology of American ambassador to China. The event was properly dealt with， which also became a highlight of Yang Jiechi’s diplomatic career. U.S. National Public Radio Station said in a program in June that year： "if anyone can properly coordinate the tension between China and the United States， the person must be Yang （Jiechi）." Strive for promoting harmony and sustainable development
Long before Yang took office， China's diplomacy had set up the rules， namely to promote China's peaceful development with a harmonious world and to make a more harmonious world with China's peaceful development. In this aspect， Yang Jiechi repeatedly said it was a very important diplomatic idea to build a harmonious world. On June 15， 2011， the 10th Anniversary of the Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held in Astana， the capital of Kazakhstan. During the meeting， Yang Jiechi delivered an important speech. He stressed that the international political and economic order were facing a profound adjustment and "three forces" -- terrorism， extremism and separatism became the number one enemy of regional security and stability. Countries should enhance mutual trust， conduct mutually beneficial cooperation and jointly cope with challenges.
In recent years， he rushed around the world to deeply concern about ecological security and sustainable development. On July 11， 2013， Yang Jiechi， accompanying with Chinese President Xi Jinping， attended the signing ceremony of China-U.S. Green Partnership Project in Washington. He pointed out in his speech that from 2008， China-U.S. Green Partnership Project as the innovation mechanism under the framework of ten years’ energy and environmental cooperation， built a good platform for the local governments， enterprises and research institutions in both countries to carry out the mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation with complementary advantages. Up to now， this platform has carried out a lot of cooperation about ecological protection， which is the epitome of the Sino-US diplomatic relationship.
"At present， 18 green partners of the two countries through joint research， project demonstration， technical communication， capacity building and other forms carry out exploratory and forward-looking cooperation in energy conservation， clean energy， ecological environment protection， the circular economy development， and etc. Today， another six Sino-US institutions formally join in." Yang also stressed that China and the United States were faced with many common challenges in the field of climate change and energy environment and also had broadly common interests and cooperation basis. "We hope and believe that China-U.S. Green Partnership Project must be able to make great contributions to promoting sustainable development and constructing new-pattern relations between the two countries. China attaches great importance to the issues of climate change and vigorously promotes the building of ecological civilization. The Chinese government will continue to strengthen the cooperation in energy， environment and other areas to benefit both countries and the people of the world. "