Kong Xuanyou

In this Chinese name, the family name is Kong.

Kong Xuanyou or Gong Hyeon-U (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 Xuanyou
孔铉佑
Kong in April 2019
Chinese Ambassador to Japan
In office 30 May 2019 – 28 February 2023
Preceded by	Cheng Yonghua
Succeeded by	Wu Jianghao
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office January 2018 – May 2019
Minister	Wang Yi
Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office December 2015 – January 2018
Minister	Wang Yi
Director of Department of Asian Affairs
In office May 2014 – December 2015
Preceded by	Luo Zhaohui
Succeeded by	Xiao Qian
Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam
In office August 2011 – May 2014
Preceded by	Sun Guoxiang
Succeeded by	Hong Xiaoyong
Personal details
Born	July 1959 (age 66) Heilongjiang, China
Political party	Chinese Communist Party
Alma mater	Shanghai International Studies University China Foreign Affairs University
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	孔鉉佑
Simplified Chinese	孔铉佑
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Kǒng Xuànyòu
Korean name
Hangul	공현우
Hanja	孔鉉佑
Transcriptions Revised Romanization Gong Hyeon-U

Biography

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]

Personal life

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]

Awards and honors

• 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]