Vice-FM appointee expert on Asia affairs

Kong Xuanyou, a veteran and senior diplomat on Asian affairs, was appointed vice-foreign minister, the government announced on Tuesday.

Kong, born in July 1959 in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, was serving as assistant foreign minister in charge of Asian and other affairs before the appointment. He also is the government’s special representative on Korean Peninsula affairs, succeeding Wu Dawei.

His resume, released by the Foreign Ministry, shows Kong studied Japanese at Shanghai International Studies University from 1979 to 1983 and then at China Foreign Affairs University to 1985.

He began his diplomatic career in 1985 as a staff member and consular attache of the consulate-general in Osaka, Japan, and worked in that country for more than 10 years.

He was minister of the Chinese embassy in Japan from 2006 to 2011, then served as ambassador to Vietnam from 2011 to 2014.

Yang Xiyu, a researcher focusing on Asia-Pacific security at the China Institute of International Studies, called Kong “an expert on Japan”.

Kong also is experienced in research and has good judgment, Yang said, citing Kong’s experience working as counselor of the Foreign Ministry’s Policy Planning Department in 2002 and 2003.

The rich experience of working on Northeast Asian affairs as well as his recognized ability in analysis is an important advantage for Kong to work on the complicated Korean Peninsula issue, Yang said.

However, the appointment announced on Tuesday is an “internal arrangement that has nothing to do with the development of the situation on the peninsula’’, Yang added. Contact the writers at wangqingyun@chinadaily.com.cn