João Salvador dos Santos Neto was born in Luanda, Angola, on March 6, 1957. A lifelong public servant and diplomat, he has dedicated nearly five decades to political and international service. Married to Filomena de Jesus Castelhano Maurício dos Santos, he is the father of five daughters.
He began his political career in 1975 when he joined the MPLA through its youth organization, JMPLA. Over the years, he held key positions within JMPLA’s National Secretariat, including Chief of Protocol, Chief of the Africa Section, and Director of the Department of International Relations. He also represented JMPLA internationally as Vice President of the World Federation of Democratic Youth, based in Budapest, Hungary.
Following Angola’s 1992 elections, he became Director of the Africa Department in the MPLA’s Foreign Relations structure and contributed to the peace process through political coordination and international engagement. Within the MPLA Central Committee, he has served as Director of both the Africa and Europe Divisions and was elected a full member in 2016.
In 2018, he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Angola to the People’s Republic of China, serving until March 2025.
He holds a degree in Law from Agostinho Neto University and has completed advanced political and executive training in Angola, Portugal, Brazil, and South Africa.