Franco-Chinese and Euro-Chinese relations in a changing world

Bertrand Lortholary has been France's Ambassador to China since March 2023.

After studying at the Institut d'études politiques de Paris, the Université de Paris-Dauphine, the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (Chinese language) and then the Ecole nationale d'administration (promotion Marc Bloch, 1997), Bertrand Lortholary joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He first worked at the Quai d'Orsay's Africa and Indian Ocean Division, where he focused on Africa's Great Lakes region. He then joined the team of the Director General of Political Affairs, from 1998 to 2001.

His career took him first to Washington, as an exchange diplomat at the State Department, then to the French Embassy, where he followed Asian and African issues from 2002 to 2005. After Washington, he served in Beijing from 2005 to 2008, as political advisor.

From 2008 to 2012, he was advisor to the President of the Republic for Asia and Oceania. He served as Consul General of France in New York from 2012 to 2016. He was French Ambassador to Vietnam from 2016 to 2019.

Before being appointed Director for Asia and Oceania in October 2020, Bertrand Lortholary was Diplomatic Advisor to the Prime Minister.