New Consul-General for Southwest China announced

  • Rt Hon Winston Peters
Deputy Prime Minister Foreign Affairs

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has appointed diplomat Stephen Wong as the new Consul-General in Chengdu, Southwest China.

“As Consul-General Mr Wong will advance New Zealand’s engagement in the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou as well as Chongqing Municipality; areas experiencing rapid growth with a combined population of 200 million,” Mr Peters said.

“New Zealand and China share a comprehensive strategic partnership, with a close, constructive and increasingly mature relationship. Two way trade now stands at NZ$27.8bn in the year to June 2018, and China is New Zealand’s largest trading partner and number one goods export market.”

Stephen Wong served most recently as Deputy Head of Mission at the New Zealand Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar. He has also worked in Jakarta, Singapore and Hong Kong.

New Zealand was among the first group of countries in the world to open a diplomatic post in Chengdu in 2014, and the Consulate is one of three in mainland China supporting the embassy in Beijing.