German envoy's death not linked to his job

The sudden death of the German ambassador to Beijing was apparently not linked to his work, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday, reported dpa.

It is not yet clear what caused the death of Jan Hecker, who only took up the post full time on August 24, following a quarantine period after arriving in China with his family.

"Given the circumstances of his death, there is no evidence that Jan Hecker's death was in some way linked to his role as the German ambassador in Peking," Maas told dpa.

"This has been a big shock for all of us," he said on his way to a meeting in Brandenburg, west of the German capital Berlin.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was "deeply shocked" by the death of 54-year-old envoy, who had previously been her foreign policy advisor.

"I mourn the loss of my advisor of many years, whom I respected greatly, and who had a deep humanity and outstanding expertise," Merkel said.

Announcing the death earlier, the Foreign Ministry said: "At this moment, our thoughts are with his family and the people who were close to him."

China was "shocked to learn of his death," Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in Beijing.

His deputy, Frank Rueckert, will take over his duties.

A native of the northern port city of Kiel, Hecker trained as a lawyer and had worked as an attorney and a judge. He was married and had three children.

Hecker was a university lecturer before becoming a foreign policy advisor to Merkel ahead of his appointment as ambassador.