H.E. Mr. Bo Shen officially assumed his duties as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of the Netherlands after presenting his Letters of Credence to His Majesty King Willem-Alexander at Noordeinde Palace on 21 January.
Ambassador Shen brings to The Hague more than two decades of distinguished diplomatic service, with extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy and international organizations. Born in Shandong Province in February 1972, Ambassador Shen holds Bachelor’s degrees in Arts and Law from Shandong University and Peking University, reflecting a strong academic foundation in both humanities and legal affairs.
He began his career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in 1997, serving successively as Desk Officer, Attaché, and Third Secretary in the Department of International Organizations and Conferences. From 2003 to 2008, he was posted to New York as Second Secretary at the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations, gaining first-hand experience in multilateral negotiations and UN affairs.
Between 2008 and 2013, Ambassador Shen returned to Beijing, where he served as Deputy Director and Director of Division within the same department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His expertise in international organizations was further deepened during his second tenure at the United Nations, from 2013 to 2018, when he served as Counsellor and Minister-Counsellor at China’s Permanent Mission.
From 2018 to 2022, Ambassador Shen held the position of Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Organizations and Conferences, before being promoted to Director-General from 2022 to 2025. In this capacity, he played a key role in shaping China’s engagement with multilateral institutions and global governance frameworks.
In 2025, he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, while concurrently serving as Permanent Representative of China to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), headquartered in The Hague.
Ambassador Shen is married. His appointment underscores the importance China attaches to its bilateral relations with the Netherlands and to its active participation in multilateral diplomacy, particularly in the field of international security and disarmament.
