President Hu Jintao has appointed Zhou Wenzhong as China's new ambassador to the United States.  

The 60-year-old, father of one daughter, was in charge of affairs of America, Oceania and Latin America, as well as translation and interpretation, and foreign-related security in his former post as vice minister of foreign affairs.

Based on the decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the top legislature, Hu also removed Yang Jiechi from the post of ambassador to the US.

Zhou, born in east China's Jiangsu Province in August 1945, began his diplomatic career as a staff member of the Beijing Diplomatic Service Bureau from 1970 to 1973. From 1973 to 1975, Zhou studied at Bath University and London School of Economics in the UK.

After his return from Britain, he worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was posted abroad on several missions, including as attaché and then third secretary of the Chinese Embassy in the US from 1978 to 1983, consul general (ambassadorial-level) of the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles from 1994 to 1995 and minister of the Chinese Embassy in the US from 1995 to 1998.

He was deputy director general of the Foreign Ministry's Department of American and Oceanian Affairs from 1993 to 1994.

Zhou became vice foreign minister in 2003.

(Xinhua News Agency March 31, 2005)