Germany’s new ambassador to China, who was previously a senior adviser to Chancellor Angela Merkel, has died at age 54, the German Government said Monday, September 06, 2021.
The Foreign Ministry announced Jan Hecker’s “sudden death” in a short statement in the early hours of Monday. It didn’t give details of when or where Hecker died, or specify a cause of death.
Hecker, a foreign policy adviser to Chancellor Angela Merkel, had just taken up his post on August. 24, 2021 the embassy in the Chinese capital said in a posting on its social media Wechat account.
His deputy, Frank Rueckert, would take over his duties.
“It is with deep sadness and consternation that we heard of the sudden death of the German ambassador to China, Prof., Dr Jan Hecker
“At this moment, our thoughts are with his family and the people who were close to him,’’ the Foreign Office said in a statement.
Ministry spokeswoman Andrea Sasse said “there are no indications that the death is connected to Ambassador Hecker’s political function.” Asked at a regular government news conference whether authorities will release further details, she said that the ministry has nothing to add at present.
Hecker, who became ambassador in August, was married and had three children, according to his biography on the Foreign Ministry website.
