Kong Xuanyou (Chinese: 孔铉佑; Korean: 공현우; born July 1959) is a Chinese diplomat. He was the Chinese Ambassador to Japan from 2019 to 2023, and previously served as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2019.
Kong was born to an ethnic Korean family in Heilongjiang province in 1959.[1] Between 1979 and 1983, he studied Arabic and Japanese languages at Shanghai International Studies University. Between 1983 and 1985 he studied foreign relations at China Foreign Affairs University.[citation needed]
His first diplomatic post was in the Chinese consulate of Osaka as a clerk (1985–1989). In 2006, he was appointed the envoy of the embassy of China in Japan. Between 2011 and 2014, he was the ambassador of China in Vietnam. After working briefly as the deputy of Asian affairs, he was appointed the assistant minister of the ministry of foreign affairs in 2015.[2][3] In August 2017, Gong succeeded Wu Dawei as the chief representative of China in Six-party talks.[4] He assumed the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs position in January 2018 until he was appointed as Ambassador to Japan.[citation needed]
According to South Korean media JoongAng Ilbo, when meeting with delegations of Korean parliamentarians, Kong expressed his regret on Korea's decision of deploying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), but did not wish for Sino-Korean relations to worsen because of that.[5]
Kong is married and has one daughter.[2] Kong is said to be close friends with the former Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai and former Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, as they worked together in Japan.[6]
Pakistan:
Hilal-i-Quaid-i-Azam (2019)[7]
Vietnam:
Friendship Order (2014)[8] “For Peace and Friendship of Nations” insignia of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Association (2014)[9]