Former FM named as executive deputy of the Party's foreign affairs office

The promotion of a high-ranking, richly experienced foreign policy expert and veteran diplomat to a major Party position covering international affairs was confirmed on Tuesday.

Song Tao, vice-foreign minister in 2011-2013, has worked in the the fields of academia, as well as holding positions in the industrial sector and diplomacy.

He is also renowned as a veteran in Philippine and European affairs.

In January, the 59-year-old official was unveiled as a deputy minister in charge of the Central Foreign Affairs Office, the executive organ handling the Party's foreign affairs policy.

The head of the office is State Councilor Yang Jiechi.

According to the website of "News of the Communist Party of China" on Tuesday confirming Song's promotion, he was "executive deputy minister" of the office when he met earlier this month with Liu Cigui, the head of the State Oceanic Administration.

Born in Jiangsu Province in 1955, Song has a PhD in economics, according to the Foreign Ministry's website.

He started his career in 1978 as a lecturer in the Fujian College of Forestry.

Song served in the industrial and financial sectors from 1992 to 2000 and his titles included vice-president of the Fujian International Trust and Investment Corp.

His diplomatic missions started in 2000 as a counselor at the Chinese embassy in India before he became ambassador to Guyana in 2002.

After serving as Director-General of the Foreign Ministry's Department of Chinese Diplomatic Missions Abroad in 2004-2007, he became ambassador to the Philippines in 2007.

In 2011, he became vice-foreign minister in charge of European and other administrative affairs.