Consul-General in Guangzhou

Today I announce the appointment of Mr Jason Robertson as Australia's next Consul-General in Guangzhou.

The Consulate-General in Guangzhou, one of five Australian diplomatic posts in China, has responsibility for Guangdong, Fujian, Hunan, Guangxi and Hainan Provinces. Australia's strong people-to-people links to this region go back more than 150 years and many Chinese-Australians trace their ancestry back to these provinces.

The region continues to be a major source of students, tourists and business visitors into Australia. There are also more direct air links between Australia and cities in this region than any other in China.

Home to China's largest, most innovative and internationally oriented businesses, more than a quarter of China's international trade goes through Guangdong Province. In 2016, Australia's two-way trade with Guangdong alone was worth over $18 billion.

Mr Robertson is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was most recently Assistant Secretary, East Asia Branch. He has served overseas in Australian diplomatic missions in Beijing, Islamabad and Belgrade. He has also served with the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations in Sarajevo, Pristina and New York.

Mr Robertson holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from the University of Queensland.

I thank outgoing Consul-General Dominic Trindade for his contributions to advancing Australia's interests in Guangzhou since 2014.