Xu Feihong (Chinese: 徐飞洪; born May 1964) is a Chinese diplomat, currently serving as Chinese Ambassador to India, in office since May 2024. He served as the Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2011 to 2013 and Chinese Ambassador to Romania from 2015 to 2019.[1][2]

Xu Feihong
徐飞洪
Xu in 2024
Chinese Ambassador to India
Assumed office
May 2024
Preceded bySun Weidong
Chinese Ambassador to Romania
In office
January 2015 – May 2018
Preceded byHuo Yuzhen
Succeeded byJiang Yu
Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan
In office
March 2011 – August 2013
Preceded byZheng Qingdian
Succeeded byDeng Xijun
Personal details
BornMay 1964 (age 60)
Dongyang, Zhejiang, China
Political partyChinese Communist Party
Children1
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinXú Fēihóng

Early life

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Xu was born in 1964 in Dongyang, Zhejiang and graduated with a bachelor's degree in law.[3]

Diplomatic career

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In 1987, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and till 1991, he served as the staff member and attaché of the Information Department of the ministry. From 1991 to 1993, he served as an attaché with the Embassy of China in Helsinki, Finland. From 1993 to 1995, he served as consular attaché and deputy consul with the rank of third secretary with Consulate General of China in Busan, South Korea.[3]

From 1995 to 1999, he served as the third secretary and second secretary of the Cadre Department within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1999 to 2002, Xu was assigned to the Consulate General of China in Auckland, New Zealand, where he served as the consul with the rank of second secretary and consul with the rank of first secretary. In 2002, he appointed as the deputy director and director of the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in 2005, he was assigned as counsellor at the Embassy of China in London, United Kingdom, a position he served till 2007.[3]

From 2007 to 2010, he served as the counsellor and deputy director-general of the European Department of the Foreign Ministry. In 2010, he was appointed as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. During his tenure as ambassador, he oversaw of the re-opening of the Chinese state-run Confucius Institute in Kabul in 2013, since its closure in 2010. In 2013, his tenure as ambassador to Afghanistan ended and he was appointed as the deputy director-general of the Cadre Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[3][4]

In 2015, Xu was appointed as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Romania and on the same year, he presented his credentials to President of Romania Klaus Iohannis. During his tenure as ambassador to Romania, when asked in an interview about Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, Xu called Liu "a criminal who violated Chinese law", and that "Liu Xiaobo's problem is China's internal matter and of the Chinese policy" and that "other countries do not talk and criticize us [China] for this." Xu's tenure as ambassador to Romania ended in 2018 and he was succeeded by Jiang Yu.[3][5][6]

In 2018, he was appointed as director of the Service Center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Overseas Missions and in 2021, he was appointed as assistant foreign minister for administrative and financial affairs, serving this position till December 2023.[7] In January 2023, he was elected as the member of the 14th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. In 2024, according to reports by Indian media, Xu was being finalized to become the next Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to India, a post that had been vacant for over 15 months since the previous ambassador Sun Weidong stepped down from the post in October 2022.[3][8][9][10] In May 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China confirmed to Press Trust of India that President of China Xi Jinping has appointed Xu as the new ambassador to India.[11] On 10 May, Xu arrived in New Delhi to take up his position as the ambassador to India.[12] On 31 May, he along with ambassadors of six other nations presented their credentials to President of India Droupadi Murmu.[13]

Personal life

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He is married and has a son.[3]

References

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  1. ^ 中华人民共和国外交部. "中国驻阿富汗历任大使". 中华人民共和国外交部. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  2. ^ "徐飞洪". 中华人民共和国驻阿富汗伊斯兰共和国大使馆. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g 徐飞洪. Ministry of the People's Republic of China (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  4. ^ "Chinese Confucius Institute re-opens in Afghanistan". People's Daily. 2013-04-07. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  5. ^ "Gala Anului Nou Chinezesc 2015". Romania-Chinese House Friendship Association. February 2015. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  6. ^ "INTERVIEW China's ambassador: Hope we'll enhance political, strategy coordination between China and Romania". Agerpres. 2017-09-27. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  7. ^ Chen, Alyssa (2024-05-10). "China names new ambassador to India after 18-month vacancy amid border dispute deadlock". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
  8. ^ "中国人民政治协商会议第十四届全国委员会委员名单". Xinhua. 2023-01-18. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  9. ^ "谢锋出任外交部副部长 徐飞洪出任外交部部长助理". China News. 2021-02-19. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  10. ^ Mitra, Devirupa (2024-01-28). "After Keeping Post Vacant For 15 Months, China May Appoint New Envoy to India Soon". The Wire. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  11. ^ "Who is Xu Feihong, China's new envoy to India?". WION. 2024-05-08. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  12. ^ Siddiqui, Huma (2024-10-10). "Xu Feihong appointed as new Chinese Ambassador to India- What does it mean for India-China dynamics?". Financial Express. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
  13. ^ PTI (2024-05-31). "President Murmu Accepts Credentials Of New Ambassadors Of China, UK, And Five Other Nations". ABP Live. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan
2011–2013
Succeeded by
Deng Xijun
Preceded by
Huo Yuzhen
Chinese Ambassador to Romania
2015–2019
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chinese Ambassador to India
2024–present
Incumbent