To use this site, please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page.
This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content, and analyzing our website traffic. By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies.
Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
China will likely appoint Wu Jianghao, currently China’s assistant foreign minister, to be the next ambassador to Japan to succeed outgoing Kong Xuanyou, it has been learned.
With the appointment of Wu, who like Kong is knowledgeable about Japan, the Chinese government is believed to be aiming to improve Japan-China relations, which have cooled, sources familiar with Japan-China relations said.
Wu, 59, is a native of Hunan Province. He was posted to the Chinese Embassy in Japan from 1993 to 1998 and from 2002 to 2008.
After serving as director general of the Asian Affairs Department of the Foreign Ministry, he was appointed assistant foreign minister in 2020 and took charge of diplomacy with Japan.
Wu is believed to have a network of contacts in Japanese political and governmental circles.
Kong, 63, is expected to leave his post soon. In May 2019, he succeeded Cheng Yonghua, the longest-serving Chinese ambassador to Japan, who held the position for more than nine years.
