Newly Appointed Chinese Ambassador to Korea Named as Dai Bing, Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN

Final Review Process by Chinese Government
About 3 Months After Former Ambassador Xing Haiming's Departure

Dai Bing (戴兵), Deputy Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations, has been reportedly appointed as the new Chinese Ambassador to South Korea.

Dai Bing, Deputy Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations, who is reported to have been appointed as the Ambassador to South Korea. Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations website

According to diplomatic sources on the 13th, the Chinese government has designated Deputy Ambassador Dai Bing as the new Chinese Ambassador to South Korea and is currently undergoing the final review process. It is expected that an official announcement will be made as early as this week, followed by the agrement (prior consent for diplomatic envoys) application procedure with the South Korean government. The position of Chinese Ambassador to South Korea has been vacant since former Ambassador Xing Haiming left office in July.

Born in 1967 and currently 57 years old, Deputy Ambassador Dai graduated from the Foreign Languages Department of Anhui Normal University and began his diplomatic career in 1995 at the African Affairs Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (equivalent to a 'bureau' in South Korea's central government). He subsequently served at the Chinese embassies in South Africa and Singapore, as well as the North America and Oceania Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2017, he served as Director-General of the African Affairs Department, and in 2020, he was appointed Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, a position he holds to this day.

China has typically dispatched officials at the 'Director-General' level as ambassadors to South Korea, and this appointment appears to follow that precedent. Former Ambassador Xing did not serve as a Director-General at the headquarters but was Deputy Director-General of the Asian Affairs Department before serving as Ambassador to Mongolia and then being assigned to South Korea.

Amid the recent close ties between North Korea and Russia and China's ongoing efforts to improve relations with South Korea, it is reported that China has carefully considered multiple candidates for the ambassadorial post.

Once Deputy Ambassador Dai assumes his post, key tasks will likely include preparations related to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled for next year in Gyeongju, which is expected to coincide with a possible visit to South Korea by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In diplomatic circles, it is anticipated that following China's appointment of the ambassador to South Korea after more than three months of vacancy, China will soon complete the agrement procedure for Kim Dae-gi, the former Chief Secretary to the President’s Office, who was designated last month as the new South Korean Ambassador to China.