New Delhi | Seasoned diplomat Vikram Misri, regarded as an expert on China, assumed charge as India's new foreign secretary on Monday.

A 1989-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Misri succeeded Vinay Kwatra.

Misri assumed charge of the key position at a time India is looking to navigate various foreign policy challenges, including its frosty ties with China following the lingering eastern Ladakh border row.

"Shri Vikram Misri assumed charge as Foreign Secretary today. #TeamMEA extends a warm welcome to Foreign Secretary Misri and wishes him a successful tenure ahead," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on X.

Misri was serving as the deputy national security advisor in his previous assignment.

He has the rare distinction of serving as private secretary to three prime ministers -- Inder Kumar Gujral, Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi.

Before he was appointed as the deputy NSA, Misri served as India's ambassador to China from 2019-2021.

Misri is believed to have played a key role in talks between India and China after tensions flared significantly following the Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020. The ties between the two countries nosedived following a fierce clash in the Galwan Valley that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

In his illustrious career, Misri also served as India's ambassador to Spain (2014-2016) and Myanmar (2016-2018) besides having stints in many Indian missions, including Pakistan, the US, Germany, Belgium and Sri Lanka.