New Consul-General to Shanghai announced

  • Murray McCully
Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced diplomat Guergana Guermanoff as New Zealand’s new Consul-General to Shanghai.

“New Zealand’s trade with China has been growing strongly in the past five years, and Shanghai is an important point of entry to the Chinese market for many New Zealand firms,” Mr McCully says.

“Shanghai is an important post for New Zealand.  It is the commercial hub of China. The new Consul-General will oversee the further expansion of New Zealand’s presence in the Shanghai Delta. 

“Shanghai is also home to the largest New Zealand business community in China and with daily direct flights from New Zealand, it is a key market for tourism, education services and investment.

“The Shanghai operation also houses representatives from Education New Zealand, Immigration New Zealand, MPI, NZTE, and Tourism New Zealand,” Mr McCully says.

In addition to Shanghai, the Consul General will also have responsibility for Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Anhui provinces, an economic region of over 180 million people.

Ms Guermanoff is currently a Lead Adviser in the China team at the Ministry. She is a Mandarin speaker who has served twice at the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing, including as the Education Counsellor. She will take up her role in early 2015.