The new assistant secretary-general of the United Nations, Xu Haoliang, has become the highest-ranking Chinese UN official appointed solely by the world body.

Xu, 52, was appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday. He replaced India's Ajay Chhibber, who will return to work for the Indian government, according to an announcement by Ban's spokesman.

The highest UN position held by Chinese nationals has been deputy secretary-general, eight of whom have been appointed by the UN after being recommended by the Chinese government.

According to the UN convention, as a member of the UN Security Council, China is entitled to recommend a candidate for that position.

Xu will also serve as assistant administrator and director of the regional bureau for Asia and the Pacific in the United Nations Development Programme.

Ban praised Xu for his "many years of distinguished service within UNDP", where he "strongly advocated the Millennium Development Goals as an important national policy framework and forged effective new partnerships in a fast-moving economy".

Xu started his career as an intern and worked his way up to the highest levels of the UN.

Zhang Xiaoan, vice-president of the UN Association of China, said Xu's appointment is a good sign that China is becoming more involved in world affairs at the UN level.

China's share of the UN annual contribution increased sharply from 3.19 percent to 5.15 percent in 2013, reaching around $278 million per year, overtaking Canada and Italy to become the sixth-biggest UN contributor, Xinhua News Agency reported.

"Compared with the budget share, we are holding only limited positions in the organization," said Zhang.

Zhang said it is a good trend that more Chinese are seeking careers within the UN. "Xu is very experienced and familiar with the UN's working environment. Such advantages can only be gained through long-time accumulation by starting from the very beginning in the organization," he said.

Xu was UNDP Resident Representative in Kazakhstan in 2007, the first Chinese national to be appointed to that position, and led the development of the UNDP Assistance Framework 2010-15.

He has served in several senior UN posts in various areas and regional bureaus, including Pakistan, Iran, Asia-Pacific and Europe.

Xu graduated from Tongji University in 1983 with a degree in bridge engineering. He later went to the United States and earned a Master of Science in management from the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. He also holds a master's degree in international affairs in international policy analysis and management from Columbia University in New York.

While he was at Columbia in 1995, Xu became an intern at the UNDP. His excellent work won him a 30-day contract, which was his first job with the world body. He did not sign a formal contract with the organization until 1999.

"Chinese who are willing to work at the UN should learn how to express their opinion in front of others and gain support from professionals," Xu said in a previous interview with Chinese media.

Xinhua-China Daily

(China Daily 08/15/2013 page11)