New Delhi:  Seasoned diplomat Vijay Keshav Gokhale, considered an expert on China, was yesterday named the next Foreign Secretary succeeding S. Jaishankar, who completes his extended tenure later this month.

Gokhale, a 1981-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), had played a key role in India-China negotiations last year to resolve the 73-day standoff between Indian Army and Chinese People’s Liberation Army at Doklam Plateau, a tri-junction between Sino-India and Bhutanese border.

He has held the posts of director (China and East Asia) and then joint secretary (East Asia) in the MEA.  Jaishankar was appointed foreign secretary in January 2015, for two years, just a few days before his retirement, replacing Sujata Singh, whose term was abruptly curtailed by the government.

A 1977-batch IFS officer, Jaishankar was given a one-year extension in January last year.