By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-01-08 05:56:35 | Updated at 2025-01-08 22:08:27
16 hours ago
China has named a veteran diplomat with experience in North African and European affairs as the top envoy to France, succeeding former ambassador Lu Shaye.
Deng Li began his tenure as the Chinese ambassador to France and Monaco after presenting his credentials to the French protocol chief Frederic Pied on Tuesday.
“China-France relations have a solid foundation and broad prospects. I am committed to work with the French side to contribute to the greater progress of bilateral relations,” Deng said in a statement from the Chinese embassy in France.
The appointment came ahead of a visit to China by France’s new prime minister, Francois Bayrou, in a bid to make progress on a trade dispute over brandy exported to the world’s second largest economy.
The announcement was made by French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday at an annual conference with French ambassadors. He did not disclose the date of Bayron’s trip, according to a Reuters report.
Deng, 60, had been the vice-foreign minister since 2021 after spending a year as assistant minister for foreign affairs. Before that, Deng was the ambassador to Turkey and department head of West Asian and North African Affairs from 2015 through 2020.
