Le Yucheng, a senior diplomat expert in Eurasian affairs and previously China's ambassador to Kazakhstan and India, has taken a post as vice foreign minister, according to the Foreign Ministry website.

According to a news release from the website, Le visited the Russian Embassy in Beijing in the capacity of vice-foreign minister on Thursday to offer condolences to the victims of the deadly fire in the Russian city Kemerovo.

The updated Mandarin resume of Le shows he is now the ministry's deputy head in charge of regular diplomatic operations and affairs related to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

Le is also an alternate member of the 19th Communist Party of China Central Committee.

Born in 1963, he started his diplomatic career in 1986 as a member of the ministry's department in charge of affairs regarding the then-Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

He became assistant foreign minister in 2011, Chinese ambassador to Kazakhstan in 2013 and ambassador to India in 2014.

In 2016, he became a deputy head of the general office of the then-Central Leading Group on Foreign Affairs.