[3] Qi was born Xia Xiong in Shanghai, on 6 January 1930, while his ancestral home was in Ezhou, Hubei.

[3] One year later, he went on to attend North China Renmin University, where he joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in November.

[4] He was counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in the German Democratic Republic in 1974, and held that office until January 1983.

[3][4] In August 1991, he was appointed director of Office of Foreign Affairs under the State Council [zh], a post he kept until November 1994.

[3][4] He also served as president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries from May 1994 to October 2000.