Huang Xilian
Huang Xilian is a Chinese diplomat who served as Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines from December 2019 to September 2025.
Biography
Born in September 1967, Huang graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University and the University of Manchester. He joined the foreign service in 1989 and has served primarily in South Asia and the Department of Asian Affairs, where he was promoted to deputy head in 2014.He was designated by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in January 2018 to replace as Chinese Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. In December 2019, he was appointed Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines, pursuant to the National People's Congress decision, succeeding Deng Xijun. He wrote the lyrics for the controversial 2020 music video "Iisang Dagat".
On August 16, 2023, Kalayaan, Palawan declared Huang as a persona non grata after he defended the harassment of China Coast Guard against Philippine vessels that occurred during the August 2023 Second Thomas Shoal standoff. That year, he was summoned multiple times by the Philippine government due to a series of confrontations between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea.
In July 2025, the Philippine government summoned him over the Chinese sanction against former senator Francis Tolentino. According to the Chinese embassy, Huang told the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs that "anti-China" Filipino politicians had done "malicious deeds" on China-related issues for political self-interest. In September 2025, he bid his farewell to the Malacañang Palace, effectively ending his role as Chinese ambassador. In December 2025, he was succeeded by Jing Quan.