New Delhi, March 19 Seasoned diplomat Vikram Doraiswami was appointed as India's new ambassador to China on Thursday, a move that comes amid efforts by the two sides to rebuild ties that came under severe strain following the over four-year military standoff in eastern Ladakh.
Doraiswami, a 1992-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), is currently serving as the High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom. He will succeed Pradeep Kumar Rawat.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that Doraiswami is expected to take up the new assignment shortly.
In the last few months, India and China have stepped up efforts to stabilize their relations, seeking a reset after the 2020 military standoff in the Galwan Valley plunged ties to the lowest point in decades. The military standoff effectively ended in October 2024.
Doraiswami, who holds a master's degree in history from Delhi University, worked as a journalist for a year before joining the IFS.
After his in-service training in New Delhi (1992-1993), Doraiswami was posted to Hong Kong in May 1994 as Third Secretary. There, he earned a diploma in Chinese from the New Asia Yale-in-Asia Language School before moving to Beijing in September 1996 for a four-year tenure.
In 2000, Doraiswami was appointed as Deputy Chief of Protocol (ceremonials) at the MEA.
After a two-year stint, he was attached to the Prime Minister's Office. He later served as a private secretary to the Prime Minister of India.
Doraiswami also served at the Indian Permanent Mission to the UN in New York and at the Consulate General in Johannesburg.
In July 2011, he returned to the MEA in New Delhi, where he headed the division for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
From October 2012 to October 2014, Doraiswami was the joint secretary of the Americas Division of the MEA. He became the Ambassador of India to Uzbekistan in October 2014, before being assigned as India's envoy to the Republic of Korea in April 2015.
Upon completion of this assignment, he returned to the MEA headquarters in July 2018, serving as the head of the Bangladesh and Myanmar division.
In December, he became the additional secretary responsible for International Organisations and Summits.
Before assuming the role as the envoy to the UK, Doraiswami served as the High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh from October 2020 to 18 September 2022.
He assumed the role of High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom on September 23, 2022.
Doraiswami speaks Mandarin, French, and some Korean.