Gautam Bambawale India’s next ambassador to China

NEWDELHI: Diplomat Gautam Bambawale, India’s high commissioner to Pakistan, was on Thursday appointed as the country’s next envoy to China. This was announced on Thursday by the external affairs ministry. A 1984 India Foreign Service (IFS) officer, Bambawale is expected to take up the assignment shortly, the ministry said. He will replace Vijay Gokhale. A deft hand in Sino-India relations, Bambawale opted to learn Mandarin Chinese as his foreign language and served in Hong Kong and Beijing between 1985 and 1991.