New Delhi, Sep 28 (IANS) India's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Nirupama Rao was Wednesday named the country's next ambassador to China.

Rao, an officer of the 1973 batch of the Indian Foreign Service, succeeds Nalin Surie and is expected to take up her assignment shortly.

In 2001, she became the first spokeswoman of the external affairs ministry.

Deepak Bhojwani, India's envoy to Venezuela, will succeed Nilima Mitra as the new ambassador to Colombia.

The government also named A. Ramesh, currently ambassador of India to Kyrgyzstan, as the next envoy to Peru in place of R.V. Warjri.