Xiong Bo

Xiong Bo (; born January 1964) is a Chinese politician and diplomat who served as the Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam from November 2018 to August 2024. He previously served as the Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia, from 2016 to 2018.

Biography Xiong was born in 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 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 General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party 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. He was succeeded by He Wei in August 2024.

Awards and honors