China confirms appointment of first special envoy on Asian affairs

BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhua) -- A Foreign Ministry spokeswoman on Monday confirmed the appointment of a former senior diplomat as special representative on Asian affairs.

"The government recently appointed Wang Yingfan, a former vice foreign minister, as the Foreign Ministry's first special representative on Asian affairs," spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily press briefing.

Wang will be largely responsible for handling issues between China and Myanmar, she said.