Senior diplomat Vikram K. Doraiswami, currently India’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, has been appointed as India’s next Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Thursday. He is expected to take up the post shortly.

A 1992-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Doraiswami will succeed Pradeep Kumar Rawat, who has served as India’s Ambassador to China since March 2022. Doraiswami brings extensive diplomatic experience from a range of bilateral and multilateral postings.

His past assignments include stints in South Korea and Uzbekistan and service at India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. He has also worked in the Prime Minister’s Office and held senior positions within the Ministry of External Affairs. Doraiswami has previous China-related experience from earlier postings in Beijing and Hong Kong and is reported to be proficient in Chinese.

The appointment comes at a sensitive moment in India-China relations, which have been strained since the Galwan Valley clashes in 2020. In recent months both countries have taken cautious steps to stabilise ties through sustained diplomatic engagement.

Measures to rebuild channels have included resumption of direct flights, easing of some visa procedures and initiatives to promote people-to-people exchanges, reflecting gradual efforts to restore normalcy while managing strategic differences.

Observers say Doraiswami’s broad diplomatic background and familiarity with multilateral and regional issues will be assets as New Delhi navigates a complex relationship that will require balancing competition with cooperation.

New Delhi — Vikram K. Doraiswami, currently India’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the People’s Republic of China, the Ministry of External Affairs announced. He is expected to assume the post shortly.

Doraiswami joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1992 after a year in journalism. He holds a master’s degree in history from Delhi University and completed his in-service training in New Delhi in 1992–93. In May 1994 he was posted as Third Secretary at India’s mission in Hong Kong and earned a diploma in Chinese from the New Asia Yale-in-Asia Language School at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

In September 1996 he moved to the Indian Embassy in Beijing, serving there for about four years. Returning to the Ministry of External Affairs in 2000, Doraiswami was appointed Deputy Chief of Protocol (Official). Two years later he joined the Prime Minister’s Office and served as Private Secretary to the Prime Minister.

He was Political Counselor at India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York in 2006 and became Consul General of India in Johannesburg in October 2009. In July 2011 he returned to the MEA to head the SAARC division and acted as coordinator for the Fourth BRICS Summit in New Delhi in March 2012.

From October 2012 to October 2014 he served as Joint Secretary in the Americas Division. He was appointed Ambassador to Uzbekistan in October 2014 and then Ambassador to the Republic of Korea in April 2015. After returning to headquarters in July 2018, he led the Bangladesh and Myanmar department.

In April 2019 Doraiswami was tasked with creating a new Indo‑Pacific division in the MEA; following his promotion in December 2019 he was designated Additional Secretary for International Organizations and Summits. He took charge as India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh on October 5, 2020, before his current posting to the United Kingdom.

Doraiswami is known to enjoy reading, sports, fitness, travel and jazz music. He is fluent in Chinese, French and Korean.