China to appoint Wu Jianghao as ambassador to Japan

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China to appoint Wu Jianghao as ambassador to Japan

It is now been learned that China will appoint Wu Jianghao, currently China's assistant foreign minister, to be the next ambassador to Japan.

The Chinese government is believed to be aiming to improve Japan-China relations with the appointment of Wu, who like Kong is knowledgeable about Japan, according to sources familiar with Japan-China relations.

From 1993 to 1998, Wu, 59, is a native of Hunan Province and served at the Chinese Embassy in Japan from 1993 to 1998 and from 2002 to 2008.

After serving as the director general of the Asian Affairs Department of the Foreign Ministry, he was appointed assistant foreign minister in 2020 and took charge of diplomacy with Japan.

Wu is believed to have a network of contacts in Japanese political and governmental circles.

Kong, 63, is expected to leave his post soon. In May 2019, Kong succeeded Cheng Yonghua, the longest-serving Chinese ambassador to Japan who worked in the position for more than nine years.