After years of preparation, the US Consulate General in Wuhan officially opened on1October 20th after being away from Wuhan for more than half a century, becoming the second foreign consular institution established in central China after the French Consulate General in Wuhan.
According to the data released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2005, 143 countries have established consular offices in China. In addition to setting up consulates in coastal cities such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xiamen, countries began to favor inland cities in the central and western regions such as Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming, Wuhan and Lhasa. The establishment of many consulates has effectively promoted the economic, trade and cultural cooperation between local countries and shortened the distance between China and the world.
Xia Liping, an associate professor in the Department of Foreign Affairs of the School of Foreign Affairs, pointed out in an interview with Outlook News Weekly that consular relations are a form of frequent contacts between countries, an indispensable part of diplomatic relations and an important means for countries to handle and develop foreign relations. Since the reform and opening up, Chinese and foreign consular relations have made great progress, which has played an important role in promoting China's foreign relations.
US Consulate Settles in Wuhan
According to the agreement of 198 1 on the exchange of consulates general between China and the United States, the United States can set up consulates general in five cities of China, namely, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang, Chengdu and Wuhan, and China can also set up consulates general in five cities of the United States, namely, San Francisco, new york, Chicago, Houston and Honolulu. Before 1985, the United States had established consulates general in four other cities except Wuhan and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
With the promotion of the strategy of the rise of Central China in recent years and the prominence of Wuhan's location and market advantages, the economic and trade exchanges and cultural exchanges between enterprises from all over the United States and Wuhan and the central region have become increasingly close, and the willingness of the United States to set up a consulate general in Wuhan has become increasingly strong.
Since September 2006, the Chinese and American governments have held several rounds of negotiations on the establishment of the US Consulate General in Wuhan and finally reached an agreement.
The newly established US Consulate General in Wuhan is temporarily located in Hankou New World International Trade Building, with Hubei, Hunan, Henan and Jiangxi provinces as the consular areas. Its purpose is to promote economic and trade exchanges, academic and cultural exchanges between the United States and the four central provinces of China, and to enhance the friendship and cooperation between the two peoples.
Ms. Bai Xiaolin, Consul General of the United States in Wuhan, said in an interview with Outlook Newsweek: "The United States recognized the importance of Wuhan when 198 1 signed the consular agreement."
As the first female consul general in China, Bai Xiaolin is from Taiwan Province Province, China. She has worked in the American press and consulates general in Shenyang and Guangzhou, and is one of the editors of Intermediate American English. She recorded 900 sentences in English, which was widely used as a teaching material for oral English in China. This is her third time to work in China.
Bai Xiaolin said that Wuhan is the leader in the central region and one of the historic towns in China, with many universities and abundant human resources. At the same time, Wuhan is also the center of China's heavy industry, extending in all directions, with both investment environment and foreign joint venture conditions.
She believes that in recent years, the central region of China has received attention in economy, trade, culture and education. It is of certain significance and conditions for China to promote the strategy of the rise of central China and regard Wuhan city circle and Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan city group as comprehensive supporting reform pilot areas for building a resource-saving and environment-friendly society in China.
In recent years, American investment in central China has increased year by year. For example, Coca-Cola and Budweiser in the United States have set up factories in Wuhan, and American auto parts and machinery enterprises have gradually entered the central market. The four central provinces also have many twin cities and sister states in the United States, and economic, trade and cultural exchanges have been frequent for more than 20 years. Many universities in central China have continuous academic exchanges and mutual visits with famous American universities such as Harvard, Yale and Columbia. More and more Americans and other foreigners have settled in the central region.
Bai Xiaolin said: "The establishment of the US Consulate General in Wuhan is a milestone in the history of US-China diplomacy. It is very important to have a diplomat who is fluent in Chinese and has no cultural barriers when opening a consulate general. As a native of China, I am very honored to have the opportunity to shoulder this heavy responsibility, become a bridge between the United States and China in economic, trade, academic, cultural or other aspects, and contribute to this historic initiative. "
From several consulates in China to 100.
Data show that before the reform and opening up, although China established diplomatic relations with more than 100 countries in the world, it rarely established diplomatic relations with these countries. By the end of 1978, the only foreign consulates in China were Polish consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou, Nepalese consulates in Lhasa and Japanese consulates in Shanghai. China has seven consulates abroad, located in Gdansk, Geneva, Karachi, Alexandria, Osaka and Zanzibar.
China has signed three consular treaties with foreign countries, namely, 1959 Consular Treaty between People's Republic of China (PRC) and the German Democratic Republic, Consular Treaty between People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and 1960 Consular Treaty between People's Republic of China (PRC) and Czechoslovakia.
Associate Professor Xia Liping analyzed that the main reason for the slow development of China's foreign consular relations is that the consular system itself is "a tool developed from the needs of international trade", so the development of consular work is closely related to a country's foreign exchange, especially the development of foreign trade. Before opening to the outside world in an all-round way, there is no urgent need for China to develop consular relations with foreign countries. Second, under the background of the Cold War in which the United States and the Soviet Union competed for hegemony, although China changed its strategy of "world revolution", some countries remained wary of China and were very cautious about developing consular relations with China. Thirdly, due to the restriction and influence of a series of policies during the Cultural Revolution, the China government had limited understanding of the important role of promoting bilateral relations between countries, which was also one of the factors that restricted the slow development of Chinese and foreign consular relations during this period.
China acceded to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. In Xia Liping's view, China's accession to the Vienna Convention is an important action, and since then, the consular relations between China and foreign countries have entered a new period of all-round development. Among them, the establishment of the consulate is an important symbol and embodiment of the establishment and development of consular relations between the two countries.
1979 1, China and the United States reached an agreement on establishing consular relations and opening a consulate general. China agreed that the United States should open consulates general in Guangzhou and Shanghai, and the United States agreed that China should open consulates general in San Francisco and Houston.
1On August 24th, 979, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and the American Embassy in China reached an agreement through an exchange of letters, confirming the establishment of China consulates in San Francisco, Houston, Shanghai and Guangzhou, as well as the consular districts of each consulate.
Since then, the number of Chinese and foreign consulates has been increasing. From the reform and opening up to the end of 2006, China has established 6/kloc-0 consulates general, consulates and consular offices abroad. This does not include the 12 consulate that has reached an agreement on the establishment of a consulate, but has not yet opened.
Foreign countries set up consulates general, consulates, consular offices and honorary consulates in China 15. In addition, China has reached consular agreements with relevant countries on 22 foreign consular offices in China, and designated consular areas. Foreign countries have set up 58 consulates general and 66 honorary consuls in China and Hongkong. Three consulates general and 13 honorary consuls have been established in Macao.
Entering the new century, there has been a climax of foreign consulates in China. Countries are more concerned about their own interests in China than ever before. From the perspective of serving the domestic development strategy, China also agrees that foreign countries should set up consulates in China.
Xia Liping believes that the establishment of a foreign consulate in Chinese mainland can not only enhance the visibility of the region and promote opening up, but also help China to introduce foreign capital, advanced technology and talents, make full use of the international and domestic markets and resources, and participate in international economic and technological cooperation and international competition.
In addition, foreign consulates in China can play the role of windows and bridges, and foreigners who intend to invest and travel in China can learn as much as possible about China and this place through this window; Foreign consulates in China can also match relevant domestic enterprises and institutions with local enterprises and personnel in China who want to "go global".
In accepting honorary consuls, China's attitude has also changed greatly compared with that before the reform and opening up. After the founding of New China, for a long time, China only recognized and implemented the professional consular system, and did not send and accept honorary consuls. After the return of Hong Kong from 65438 to 0997, the China government agreed that foreign governments should keep honorary consuls in Hong Kong or send honorary consuls to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
1998 1 10 In October, the government of China signed an agreement with the government of Vanuatu, agreeing that Vanuatu should set up an honorary consulate in Beijing. The China government began to recognize and try out the honorary consular system in the Mainland. By the end of 2006, China had accepted honorary consuls appointed by nine countries.
These developments show that with the enhancement of China's comprehensive national strength, China has become more and more open and confident in its foreign exchanges, and China's diplomacy has become more and more pragmatic.
33 consulates remain in Guangzhou.
As the southern gate of reform and opening up, Guangzhou has become the fastest growing area for foreign countries to set up consulates in China. Luo Jun, director of the Consular Department of the Foreign Affairs Office of Guangdong Province, said that at the beginning of the reform and opening up, the United States took the lead in opening a consulate general in Guangzhou, 1979, and then the number of foreign consulates in Guangzhou continued to increase, reaching 16 in 2000. In the first eight years of the new century, the number of foreign consulates in Guangzhou doubled to 33, second only to Shanghai. "The Israeli Consulate General in Guangzhou is expected to open early next year, Spain plans to set up a consulate in Guangzhou next year, and Ecuador is also stepping up preparations."
"The increasing number of consulates shows that more and more countries want to strengthen consular relations with China, so as to further promote exchanges and cooperation with China. The number of 33 consulates not only shows the external attraction of economic development in Guangdong and South China, but also shows the status and role of Guangdong and South China in China's foreign exchanges. " Subjectively, foreign countries set up consulates in Guangzhou for their own needs, but objectively, it also provides many conveniences for Guangdong to expand foreign exchanges and promote foreign cooperation.
Many countries have greatly increased their economic and trade exchanges with Guangdong after setting up consulates in Guangzhou. At present, the trade volume between Guangdong and these 33 consular sending countries has exceeded 50% of Guangdong's total foreign trade. Whether domestic enterprises go out or foreign enterprises come in, consulates, as permanent official institutions of foreign countries, can provide authentic and credible information services for them to seek cooperation and development in each other and play a long-term and stable bridge role. "For example, at the China International SME Expo held in Guangzhou in 2006, we cooperated closely with the Italian Consulate General in Guangzhou, coordinated with each other and made great efforts to promote it, which led Italian Prime Minister Prodi to come to Guangzhou personally with a huge delegation including seven or eight ministerial officials and more than 700 enterprises, which opened a good situation for Sino-Italian SME cooperation. Another example is the annual Canton Fair, High-tech Fair, and major economic and trade activities such as investment promotion, investment promotion and product display held by various cities and departments. The consulate in Guangzhou will be invited to participate, fully understand various business opportunities, and bridge the mutually beneficial cooperation between the sending country and various cities and departments in Guangdong, and achieved good results. "
"The consulate has different consular areas. In addition to Guangdong, most consulates also include Guangxi, Fujian and Hainan, and some also include Hunan, Jiangxi and even Yunnan and Guizhou provinces. While promoting exchanges between exporting countries and Guangdong, they also promoted exchanges and cooperation between exporting countries and these provinces and regions in different ways. "
In order to help countries better understand China, Guangdong invites consular officials to attend the "two sessions" or attend various briefing sessions every year, so that they can learn about Guangdong's economic and social development and future planning from authoritative channels, and understand the ins and outs of major reform measures and social hot issues, so as to objectively introduce them to sending countries and their nationals. During the SARS in 2003, there were many speculations and false reports about the situation in Guangdong abroad. By arranging for consular officials from various countries to participate in briefings, expert interviews, visits and inspections, China will let them know the real situation in Guangdong, thus dispelling doubts, eliminating misunderstandings and stabilizing people's hearts. In August this year, Guangdong specially organized consular officials from various countries to visit Guangzhou, Dongguan, Shenzhen, Huizhou and other places on the east bank of the Pearl River, and personally experienced the tremendous changes brought by reform and opening up to the Pearl River Delta region.
In recent years, more and more foreigners have come to Guangdong, and the problems that follow have gradually increased. In order to solve these problems properly, foreign consulates in Guangzhou have played their due role, provided help to relevant personnel and solved difficulties. "In June 2003, there were four American citizens suffering from mental illness in Guangzhou. They have lost their ability to act, and they are not supervised by their relatives and friends, so their own safety is in danger, and they endanger the safety of others. At that time, the relevant departments contacted the U.S. Consulate General in Guangzhou, who assisted in arranging patients to be hospitalized, communicated with their families in time, and finally arranged for them to return home safely. In recent years, similar incidents have occurred from time to time, and it is very difficult to deal with them without the assistance of the consulate. "
Over the past 30 years, with the deepening of reform and opening up and the gradual accumulation of experience in foreign exchanges, Guangdong has become increasingly close in exchanges and cooperation with foreign consulates in Guangzhou in accordance with international treaties and practices, and the consular work with China characteristics and in line with Guangdong's reality has become increasingly mature. Luo Jun said that there are more than 100 economic, trade and cultural activities that foreign consulates are invited to participate in and organize by themselves every year, and some activities have formed brands at home and abroad, such as Canton Fair, Hi-Tech Fair, Guangzhou Fireworks Gala, Shenzhen Seaside Day, Dongguan Litchi Festival and educational exhibitions of consulates in Britain, Australia and other countries.
It is understood that more and more consulates in Guangzhou have begun to build permanent buildings. Among them, Midea will build a permanent building covering an area of 30,000 square meters in Guangzhou Zhujiang New Town, and it is expected to formally break ground next month. Luo Jun said, "In order to meet the needs of consulates of various countries to build permanent premises, Guangdong has planned a consulate area in Chigang, Guangzhou, where consulates of various countries can choose sites to build their premises. Recently, breakthroughs have been made in the construction of this area. The Thai consulate has obtained the land for building a museum. South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and Kuwait have also formally applied for land use, and relevant procedures are being processed. "
China has the largest number of consular offices.
Among many cities in the mainland, Shanghai has the largest number of foreign consular offices in China. According to the latest statistics of Shanghai Foreign Affairs Office, 64 countries have established consular offices in Shanghai, including 5 honorary consuls, consular offices 1, consulates 1, and the rest are consulates general.
Many countries have set up consulates in Shanghai for more than one hundred years. 1854, the United States appointed the first consul in Shanghai, robert murphy, which was the second American consular office in China and one of the earliest American consular offices in the Far East.
The first Swedish Consulate General in Shanghai was established in 1863, but it didn't become a real consulate until 1893. After many relocations, 1937 was finally located at No.9 Zhongshan East Second Road on the Bund.
After the founding of New China, the consulates of western countries in Shanghai gradually closed until the reform and opening up. On April 28th, 1980, the US Consulate General in Shanghai reopened at Huaihai Middle Road 1469; 1996165438+1On October 6th, the Swedish Consulate General in Shanghai reopened under the auspices of former Swedish Prime Minister persson. Today, all G-8 countries have set up consulates-general in Shanghai. In recent years, a major trend is that more developing countries gradually set up consulates-general in Shanghai.
The consular districts of foreign consulates in Shanghai basically include Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta region. More and more consulates not only provide visa services for China citizens and consular services for their own citizens, but also expand their business scope to many fields such as politics, economy, culture, education, environmental protection, science and technology at home and abroad, resulting in more and more consulate branches. In recent years, many consulates in Shanghai have moved into larger new locations, and some consulates have been buying houses outside to accommodate new institutions. Even the business department under a consulate general can "live in four places".
The number of visas issued by foreign consulates in Shanghai is increasing year by year. Take the US Consulate General in Shanghai as an example, about 6.5438+0.7 million visas are issued every year, of which nearly 90% of the applicants in the Shanghai consular district can successfully pass, and many applicants have obtained multiple entry visas within one year. From fiscal year 2007 10 to September 2008, the US Consulate General in Shanghai issued a total of144,000 non-immigrant visas, an increase of 22% over the previous fiscal year. Among them, the number of student visas issued increased by 40% compared with fiscal year 2007.
And more and more domestic citizens have entered the jurisdiction of foreign consulates in Shanghai. China has become the fifth largest overseas study destination for American students, many of whom are studying in Shanghai. The U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai now provides services for 75,000 U.S. citizens who live or visit the Shanghai Consular Section for a short time, while the number of Japanese temporarily staying in the Consular Section of the Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai has exceeded 6 1 000.
Consulates play a unique role in the increasing exchanges between China and foreign countries. On the one hand, it is a bridge between the two governments to help the two sides narrow their differences and enhance mutual trust and understanding; On the other hand, it provides a channel for economic and cultural exchanges between the two peoples. At present, the offices of the US Consulate General in Shanghai responsible for commerce, agricultural trade, educational exchange, media relations, customs cooperation and aviation cooperation are all over Shanghai, and the newly-added Shanghai office of the US Food and Drug Administration will also begin to operate formally in the spring of 2009.
Ms. Bicui Kang, Consul General of the United States in Shanghai, said that in the past 30 years, China and the United States have developed from mutual isolation before the 1970s to a broad and multi-level bilateral dialogue mechanism. At present, there are frequent dialogues between the two governments, and non-governmental exchanges have formed a two-way "torrent". This kind of communication is quite beneficial for the two sides to form an atmosphere of mutual understanding in the next 30 years. "The US Consulate General in Shanghai is proud to enhance the understanding between the United States and eastern China. I believe that the relationship between the two sides will continue to strengthen. "