Foreign Minister Winston Peters today announced the appointment of career diplomat Rebekah Mawson as New Zealand’s Consul-General in Guangzhou.
“Ms Mawson will be responsible for our relationships in southern China, the destination of more than one-third of our exports,” Mr Peters said.
A Mandarin Chinese speaker, Ms Mawson is currently Economic Counsellor at the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing. She has previously worked in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, at the New Zealand Embassy in Washington DC and in various roles at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
“Guangzhou is the capital of the booming Guangdong Province – a hub for politics, education and technology, which presents significant opportunities for New Zealand,” said Mr Peters.
“Guangzhou is also the largest source of Chinese tourists and students for New Zealand, and the birthplace of our earliest Chinese immigrants, as well as sister city to Auckland.”
