Pablo Kang

• University of Sydney
• Monash University

His Excellency Pablo Kang
Ambassador of Australia to Cambodia
In office January 2020 –January 2023
Occupation	Diplomat

Pablo Kang (born 1973) is an Australian diplomat and public servant who served as the Australian ambassador to Cambodia from 2020 to 2023. He was Australian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates from 2012 to 2016 and Australian High Commissioner to Vanuatu from 2009 to 2010.

Life and career

Born in 1973, Pablo Kang was named after the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. His parents had emigrated to Australia from Korea in the 1960s. ^[1]

Kang took up an appointment as Australian High Commissioner to Vanuatu in January 2009. ^[2] He was responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Australian Government's new aid development arrangements and for arranging Vanuatu's participation in the Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme. ^[3] When he returned to Australia in 2010, Kang was appointed Assistant Secretary heading the International Organisations Branch. ^[4]

In 2012 Kang was appointed Australia's Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and to Qatar. He relocated to Abu Dhabi to take up the post. Kang helped to secure the release and return home of Marcus Lee in January 2014. Lee, an Australian businessman, had been detained in Dubai since 2009 on fraud charges related to a Dubai property deal involving Sunland Group. ^[5] Also in 2014 Kang worked with the UAE Government to bring into force the Australia-UAE bilateral agreement on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. ^[6] Under the agreement, Australian uranium suppliers can export uranium to the UAE, which Kang said would represent a considerable diversification in the current terms of trade between the two countries. ^[7] Kang's posting to Abu Dhabi ended on 5 January 2016 ^[8] and he was subsequently posted to Cambodia as ambassador in December 2019. ^[9] Kang was in the post during the COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia, and announced that Australia would provide COVID-19 vaccines and financial aid to Cambodia during the pandemic. ^{[10] [11]}

References

1. Hill, Jessica (3 May 2014). "Day in the life: Pablo Kang, the Australian ambassador to the UAE". The National. Archived from the original on 2 December 2014.
2. Smith, Stephen (21 December 2008). "Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner To Vanuatu" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 13 March 2014.
3. "Vanuatu appoints new High Commissioner to Australia". ABC Radio Australia. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 19 December 2011. Archived from the original on 12 December 2016.
4. Rudd, Kevin (7 January 2012). "Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to the UAE" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 26 March 2015.
5. "Businessman Marcus Lee arrives back in Australia after four-year Dubai corruption ordeal". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 20 January 2014. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016.
6. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (9 March 2016), Business Envoy, Australian Government, archived from the original on 12 December 2016
7. Malek, Caline (17 April 2014). "Australia hopes to lure Emirati students to its institutions while selling uranium to the UAE". The National. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014.
8. Malek, Caline (3 January 2016). "Outgoing Australian ambassador to UAE sets out successor's prime objectives". The National. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016.
9. Burgess, Katie (17 December 2019). "Career diplomats clean up in end-of-year appointment spree". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
10. "Australia's solidarity for Cambodia as capital goes into lockdown". The Mandarin. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
11. Chheng, Niem. "Oz to assist with vaccine purchase". www.phnompenhpost.com. Retrieved 16 September 2021.

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by John Pilbeam	Australian High Commissioner to Vanuatu 2009–2010	Succeeded by Jeff Roach
Preceded by Doug Trappett	Australian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Australian Ambassador to Qatar 2012–2016	Succeeded by Arthur Spyrou
Preceded by Angela Corcoran	Australian Ambassador to Cambodia 2020–present	Incumbent