Germany’s newly appointed ambassador to China, Jan Hecker, has died, the country’s foreign ministry announced in a statement.
“It is with deep sadness and consternation that we heard the sudden death of the German ambassador to China, Prof. Dr. Jan Hecker, experienced,” Germany’s Federal Foreign Office said in a statement.
“At this moment, our thoughts are with his family and those close to him.”
Hecker previously worked as Merkel’s refugee policy coordinator from 2015 to 2017 and then served as her foreign policy adviser.
The foreign ministry gave no further information about where or how Hecker, 54, died.
