International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde tapped a Chinese IMF official Wednesday as the Fund's next secretary.

Jianhai Lin, who has been acting secretary since November, will hold the key post of the department that is responsible for the operations of the IMF executive board and serves as a main contact point for the institution's 187 member countries, the IMF said in a statement.

Lin will succeed Siddharth Tiwari, an Indian national who was recently appointed strategy director.

Lin's appointment takes affect on March 22.

"Jianhai has had a wide-ranging Fund career in both country and policy work," Lagarde said in the statement.

"This breadth of experience has been of particular benefit to the IMF, where Jianhai's skill in building consensus among staff, management and our global membership has been essential for the productive work of the executive board during one of the most challenging periods in the Fund's history."

Lin studied at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing and the University of California at Berkeley, and earned his doctorate in international finance from George Washington University.

Prior to his arrival at the Fund in the 1990s, he worked in the financial sector and academia.

In July 2011, Lagarde selected Zhu Min as the first Chinese to hold the newly created post of deputy managing director.