Diplomat Vijay Keshav Gokhale, considered an expert on China, was today 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 near Sikkim.
58-year-old Gokhale, who is at present secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs, was India’s Ambassador to China from January 20, 2016 to October 21, 2017.
Gokhale will have a two-year term. As per rules, the posts of foreign secretary, defence and home secretaries, CBI and IB chiefs are for a two-year term.