China has named a career diplomat, Hua Qunduo as the new ambassador to India to steer Sino-Indian relations in the new millennium. Hua will replace Zhou Gang, who was appointed in 1998.
Though Hua's appointment had been cleared some time back, Zhou was asked to continue for some more time in order to handle the 'official goodwill visit' of senior Chinese leader and chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC), Li Peng in January this year, official sources said. Hua is expected to leave for India next month to take up his new post, official sources said.
Hua was earlier Chinese ambassador in Fiji and concurrently to Vanuatu and Kiribati. Prior to that he was the deputy division chief of the America division of the Chinese foreign ministry. Bureau Report