China is expected to appoint two men to its top foreign policy positions who have devoted their careers to Beijing's relations with the United States and Japan, reflecting in part the rising tensions with both countries, according to former diplomats and foreign policy experts.

A Saturday announcement was expected to elevate Yang Jiechi — China's current foreign minister and former ambassador to the United States — to state councilor, the nation's highest-ranking official on foreign policy. Late Saturday afternoon, Wang Yi, former ambassador to Japan, was named new foreign minister.

For years, China's foreign policy has been dominated by a sometimes uncoordinated mix of leaders within its military and ruling Communist Party. Some had hoped the next generation of foreign policy leaders would help strengthen the relatively weak Ministry of Foreign Affairs, providing a central coordinating point internally as well as better access to decision-makers for other countries' diplomats.