Local News in Brief : China to Open Consulate
The Chinese government announced Monday that it will open its first consulate in Los Angeles in a formal ceremony Thursday. The consulate, to be staffed with 11 diplomats, will be located at 501 Shatto Place, Suite 300, and will be open each weekday from 9 to 11:30 a.m. and from 1 to 4 p.m.
The consul general for the People’s Republic of China will be Ma Yuzhen, 53, a former spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, and he will hold ambassadorial rank, a higher title than the consul generals at four existing Chinese consulates in the United States.
Wednesday night, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wu Xueqian and other senior Chinese diplomats in attendance, the Chinese will host a reception for 1,000 invited guests at the Biltmore hotel to celebrate the new consulate.
Press spokesman Zhang Pengxiang, who will be one of the diplomats stationed in Los Angeles, said the consulate is still searching for a suitable residence for Yuzhen.
The office will be the 67th foreign consulate in Los Angeles.
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