China's first ever standard diplomatic dictionary, whose compilation was led by veteran diplomat Qian Qichen, is scheduled for publication this February.

The dictionary, totaling eight million characters, comprises 2 volumes with 14,000 entries in all. It covers many related fields ranging from diplomatic theory to diplomatic incidents involving over 190 countries around the world.

In the dictionary, authors focus more on China's diplomatic situation after WWII and closely examine the hot issues of the time.

Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing speaks highly of the dictionary, calling it an "infrastructure construction" stroke that effectively helps deepen the public's understanding of Chinese diplomacy.

The compiling work lasted 14 years and involved contributions from nearly a thousand of the nation's elite diplomatic experts.

(CRI.com January 15, 2005)