On December 22nd 2018, Mme ZHANG Meifang arrived at the City Airport in Belfast, Northern Ireland. As the new Chinese Consul General in Belfast, she was greeted by Mr Tim Losty Minister Counselor of NI Bureau in Beijing, Ms Anne Tohill Head of International Relations of NI Executive Office, representatives of the overseas Chinese, the overseas students and the Confucius Institute in NI as well as Deputy Consul General Mr ZHU Songhua.
Mme Zhang stated that she was very honored to become the Chinese Consul General in Belfast at this festive time of welcoming the new year, and she expressed her awareness of the greatness of the responsibility and the glory of the mission. Mme Zhang very much appreciated the warm welcome she received in such cold weather. Greatly touched, Mme Zhang said she would view it as an incentive and encouragement to her future work. At present, the Golden Era of China-UK relations has been advancing steadily, and the two countries have been fully implementing the important consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and the British leader following President Xi's visit to the UK in 2015. Over the past several years, the relationship between China and Northern Ireland has flourished, resulting in a number of tangible and better exchanges and cooperation between China and Northern Ireland in the fields of economy and trade, education, science, technology and culture as well as in the development of sister cities/provinces.
Mme Zhang expressed her willingness to work together with the Northern Ireland community to continue to enhance bilateral exchanges and understanding, to write new chapters of the friendly cooperation between China and Northern Ireland, and to help facilitate the Golden Era of China-UK relations to produce more pragmatic results.
Mme Zhang further stated her commitment to work with the colleagues of the Chinese Consulate General in Belfast to faithfully practice the principle of diplomacy for the people, to care about and to serve the overseas Chinese community whole-heartedly, and to fulfill the duty well, so as to live up to the trust of the motherland and the expectation of the overseas Chinese. It is hoped that all the overseas Chinese will continue to enthusiastically help and support the work of the Chinese Consulate. Joint efforts should be made to promote greater development of the China-UK global comprehensive strategic partnership for the 21st century.
Mme Zhang finally concluded by wishing the overseas Chinese, the Chinese-funded institutions and the overseas students in Northern Ireland a prosperous new year and good fortune.
