German ambassador to China died suddenly a few days after taking office



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In this photo from June 13, 2019, German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks with her then foreign policy adviser Jan Hecker during the reception of North Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev for a meeting at the Chancellery of Macedonia North.  (AP Photo / Markus Schreiber, File)
In this photo from June 13, 2019, German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks with her then foreign policy adviser Jan Hecker during the reception of North Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev for a meeting at the Chancellery of Macedonia North. (AP Photo / Markus Schreiber, File)

The new German ambassador to China, former adviser to the chancellor Angela Merkel, has died at the age of 54, the German Foreign Ministry reported on Monday.

“We receive with great sadness and confirmation the news of the sudden death of the German Ambassador to China, Jan Hecker. Right now our thoughts are with his family and friends ”, said a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry.

There were no further details on when or where Hecker died, and the cause of death was also not reported.

Hecker, who became ambassador in August, He was married and had three children, according to his biography published on the website of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

He arrived in China on August 1 and presented his credentials on August 24.according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Hecker, a former Interior Ministry official and later Federal Administrative Court judge, started working at the Foreign Ministry in 2015 as director of a unit that coordinated refugee policy. In 2017, he became Merkel’s foreign policy adviser, a post of great political weight. and little public recognition.

Merkel said in a statement that “the death of Jan Hecker shocks me deeply”.

“I am in mourning for an esteemed multi-year advisor with a deep humanity and remarkable expertise,” said the Chancellor. He added that he was “Full of gratitude” for working with him for years and expressed his condolences to his family.

File image of Jan Hecker (left) with Chancellor Merkel (EFE / EPA / ANNEGRET HILSE / POOL)
File image of Jan Hecker (left) with Chancellor Merkel (EFE / EPA / ANNEGRET HILSE / POOL)

According to the Hong Kong South newspaper China Morning Post, His appointment was aimed at maintaining the outgoing leader’s policy of rapprochement with Beijing.

This media points out that Hecker seemed to be doing well last Friday night., when he hosted a cultural event at the Embassy during which he chatted with several of the attendees.

The German Embassy in Beijing forwarded all comments and questions to the Foreign Ministry in Berlin, which did not immediately respond to an email requesting further details.

(With information from AP and EFE)

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