Xiong Bo

Xiong Bo (; born January 1964) is a Chinese politician and diplomat who serves as the Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam since November 2018. He previously served as the Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia, from 2016 to 2018.

Biography

Xiong was born on 1964 in Guanyang County, Guangxi. In 1985, he entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China. From 1985 to 1998, he served in the department of Asian affairs within the ministry, Chinese Embassy in Japan and Chinese Consulate-General in Osaka, Japan.

In 1998, he was appointed as first secretary at the Chinese Embassy in Japan and from 2001 to 2005, he served as the deputy director and first secretary of the department of Asian affairs. In 2005, he was appointed as counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Japan, a position he served till 2007. From 2007 to 2011, he served as counselor and director of the Asian department within the foreign ministry. From 2011 to 2014, he served as the deputy director-general of the Asian department.

In January 2015, he was appointed as member of the Standing Committee and Deputy Mayor of Municipal Committee of the city of Rizhao. On 2016, he was appointed as the Chinese Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia. On 24 September 2016, he presented his credentials to King of Cambodia Norodom Sihamoni. On 23 July 2018, during speech at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, Xiong said that the European Union should not exploit Cambodia's political situation to put commercial and economic pressure on it.

In November 2018, he was appointed as Chinese Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. On 18 November 2018, he presented his credentials to President of Vietnam and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyễn Phú Trọng. In April 2020, ''Báo Thế giới và Việt Nam'', the newspaper of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam published an article by Xiong where he highlighted China's bankrolling of projects along the Mekong River. According to a report by the Center for Naval Analyses, Xiong's article seemed push back against criticism that Chinese projects on Mekong have had a severely negative effect on downriver communities of countries where the river flows through. On 11 December 2023, ahead of the visit of President of China Xi Jinping to Vietnam on 12 December 2023, Xiong announced that China is prepared to provide financial assistance to Vietnam for the enhancement of a railway connection between Guangxi and Hanoi, and that there are additional commitments to accelerate the implementation of initiatives aimed at establishing further railway networks that connect the two nations.

Awards and honors

* Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Sahametrei (Cambodia, 29 August 2018)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xiong, Bo
1964 births
Living people
People from Guilin
Ambassadors of China to Cambodia
Ambassadors of China to Vietnam
Chinese expatriates in Japan
Chinese Communist Party politicians from Guangxi
People's Republic of China politicians from Guangxi
Political office-holders in Shandong