Germany's envoy in Beijing dies at 54

Germany's new ambassador to China, who had served as a senior adviser to Chancellor Angela Merkel, has died aged 54, the German Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

The German 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.

"It is with deep sadness and dismay that we have learned of the death of the German ambassador in China, Prof Dr Jan Hecker," the ministry said in a statement on its website.

"Our thoughts in these moments are with his family and the people close to him."

Ministry spokeswoman Andrea Sasse said: "There are no indications that the death is connected to Ambassador Hecker's political function."

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday that China mourns and regrets Hecker's passing and will provide assistance to his family and the embassy in dealing with follow-up matters.

Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a daily news conference in Beijing that China was shocked to learn of Hecker's death, and sends its condolences and sympathy to his family.

Hecker had been working actively in promoting bilateral ties since assuming his post in August, Wang said.

Hecker arrived in China on Aug 1 and presented his credentials on Aug 24, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Merkel adviser

Hecker, a former German Interior Ministry official and then a judge at the country's Federal Administrative Court, started work at the chancellery in 2015 as the head of a unit coordinating refugee policy.

He became Merkel's foreign policy adviser－an influential post, though one with a low public profile－in 2017.

Merkel said in a statement that "Jan Hecker's death shocks me deeply".

"I am mourning an esteemed longtime adviser with deep humanity and outstanding expertise," the chancellor said.

She added that she was "full of gratitude" to have worked with him for years and expressed her condolences to his family.

German and European Union flags flew at half-mast on Monday at the embassy in Beijing.

Zhou Jin in Beijing and agencies via Xinhua contributed to this story.