SENIOR diplomat Pradeep Kumar Rawat was on Monday appointed as India’s next Ambassador to China. An Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of 1990 batch, Rawat is currently serving as Indian envoy to the Netherlands. “He is expected to take up the assignment shortly,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a brief statement. Rawat will succeed Vikram Misri.

 

Rawat’s appointment comes in the midst of the lingering eastern Ladakh border standoff. He had earlier served in Hong Kong and Beijing. Ambassador Rawat has spent the majority of his diplomatic career handling Beijing from Delhi and was the joint secretary (East Asia) from 2014 to 2017. Rawat served as Ambassador of India to Indonesia and Timor-Leste from September 2017-December 2020. He speaks fluent Mandarin.