BEIJING, April 27 (UPI) -- China on Friday named Yang Jiechi, former envoy to the United States, as its foreign minister, succeeding Li Zhaoxing.

The 57-year-old Yang, who studied at the London School of Economics and speaks English fluently, served in the Chinese Embassy in the United States for nearly 13 years over different periods in the 1980s, 1990s and the beginning of this century, the state-owned Xinhua news agency reported.

The report said after taking over as ambassador, Yang worked to ease Sino-U.S. tensions resulting from a collision between a U.S. EP-3 spy plane and a Chinese fighter jet off the coast of Hainan Island in the South China Sea in 2001.

He also won praise to promote China-U.S. cooperation in fighting terrorism, improving trade ties and the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, the report said.

Prior to his latest appointment, Yang was vice foreign minister in charge of Latin American affairs and foreign-related affairs involving Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

His predecessor Li, who is 66, is past the customary retirement age of 65, Xinhua said.