Beijing, March 20: China welcomed the appointment of Vikram Doraiswami as India's Ambassador to China on Friday, stating that it looks forward to his positive role in the continuous improvement and growth of bilateral ties.
Speaking at a regular media briefing in Beijing on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian expressed China's readiness to facilitate Doraiswami when he assumes his new role in China.
"Diplomatic envoys are important bridges for friendly cooperation and relations between countries. China welcomes the appointment of the new Indian Ambassador to China, Vikram Doraiswami, and stands ready to provide him with support as he carries out his duties in China, and looks forward to his positive role in promoting the continuous improvement and growth of China-India ties," the spokesperson said in response to a question about China's view on Doraiswami's appointment.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Thursday that Doraiswami, currently the High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to China.
A 1992 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Doraiswami is expected to take up the assignment shortly.
He was appointed as the High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom in August 2022, following his service as India's High Commissioner to Bangladesh.
He speaks Chinese, French, and some Korean. At the start of his diplomatic career, Doraiswami served in the Indian Embassy in Beijing for nearly four years.
After his in-service training in New Delhi from 1992-1993, Doraiswami was posted to the Commission of India in Hong Kong in May 1994 as Third Secretary. He learned Chinese, taking an elective diploma in that language at the New Asia Yale-in-Asia language school of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He was posted to the Embassy of India in Beijing in September 1996, where he served for nearly four years.
Currently, Pradeep Kumar Rawat, who joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1990, is India's Ambassador to China. Ambassador Rawat had also opted to learn Mandarin Chinese as his foreign language and served in Hong Kong and Beijing between 1992 and 1997.
Ambassador Rawat started his second tenure in Beijing in 2003 as Counsellor and ended in 2007 as Deputy Chief of Mission. He was appointed as India's Ambassador to China in December 2021.
India and China continue to further advance bilateral ties by enhancing people-to-people exchanges and addressing concerns on sensitive issues.
Last month, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and China's Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu held the India-China Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi during which both sides also discussed global, regional situations and other multilateral issues.
"Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held the India-China Strategic Dialogue with Executive Vice Foreign Minister of China Ma Zhaoxu, who is in India to participate in the BRICS Sherpa Meeting. Both sides reviewed the positive momentum in bilateral relations and discussed ways to further advance ties by enhancing people-to-people exchanges and addressing concerns on sensitive issues. They exchanged views on the global and regional situation and multilateral issues," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated after the meeting.