Germany’s ambassador to China dies at 54

Germany's ambassador to China Jan Hecker has died, weeks after taking up his new role, the German Foreign Ministry announced on Monday.

"It is with deep grief and dismay that we have learned the sudden death of the German ambassador in China, Professor Dr. Jan Hecker. At this moment, our thoughts are with his family and people close to him," it said in a statement.

Authorities in Berlin did not immediately release further details, and gave no information about when and where the ambassador died.

The 54-year-old diplomat was a close aide to Chancellor Angela Merkel. He was her chief foreign policy adviser from 2015 until his recent appointment to Beijing.