Two new vice-ministers were appointed to the foreign ministry during a reshuffle held earlier this month.

Both Li Hui and He Yafei previously served as assistant ministers.

Li, 55, has been at the ministry since graduating from Beijing Foreign Studies University in 1975. He spent more than 10 years in Russia and Kazakhstan, and later worked as director-general of the ministry's department of East European and Central Asian affairs.

He was promoted to assistant minister in 2003.

Li's current portfolio covers Russia, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and foreign affairs management, the foreign ministry's website said.

He Yafei, 53, is a native of Zhejiang province and also attended Beijing Foreign Studies University. He began his career in 1981 as an interpreter at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

He has worked at several departments within the foreign ministry, including those concerned with African issues, arms control and international organizations.

In 2001, he became head of the department of North American and Oceanic Affairs, after three years at the Chinese embassy to the United States as minister counselor.

In 2006, he was promoted to assistant minister, and as vice-minister will be in charge of arms control and protocol.

Also during the reshuffle, Hu Zhengyue, director-general of the ministry's department of Asian affairs, was promoted to assistant minister with responsibility for Asian affairs and international treaty and law.

In March at the annual National People's Congress, former Vice-Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo was appointed State Councilor, and in May, former Vice-Foreign Minister Wang Yi was appointed chief of the State Council's Taiwan affairs office.

The foreign ministry now has seven vice-ministers and four assistant ministers.

(China Daily July 30, 2008)