Beijing: A senior US diplomat serving in Shanghai has married his Chinese male partner in first such gay marriage by a foreign diplomat serving in the country.

Hanscom Smith, a senior diplomat and the US Consul General in Shanghai, married his Chinese male partner Lyu Yingzong (Eric Lu) during his holiday leave in San Francisco, California, state-run china.org.cn reported today.

The American coast city is considered a fairly important place in supporting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) movements.

Smith previously served in the Office of Japanese Affairs at the Department of State and as the team leader at the United States Provincial Reconstruction Team in Muthanna Province, Iraq.

He was also a diplomat serving in the US embassies in Yaoundé, Cameroon, Copenhagen, Denmark, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Bangkok, Thailand, Kabul, Afghanistan and Beijing, China.