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List of ambassadors of Australia to China

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Ambassador of Australia to China
since August 2019
StyleHis Excellency
NominatorPrime Minister of Australia
AppointerGovernor General of Australia
Inaugural holderFrederic Eggleston
Formation1941
WebsiteAustralian Embassy, China

The Australian Ambassador to China is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the Embassy of the Commonwealth of Australia to the People's Republic of China (PRC). The position has the rank and status of an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and has lived in Beijing since 1973.[1]

The incumbent ambassador is Graham Fletcher who took up the appointment in August 2019.

Posting history

Australia's legation was first accredited to the Republic of China and was located in Chungking (Chongqing) from 1941 to 1946, with the first Minister, Sir Frederic Eggleston, presenting his credentials to President Lin Sen on 30 October 1941. The legation later moved to Nanking (Nanjing) from June 1946 to 1949, initially located at 34 Peiping Road and then 26 Yihe Road.[2] Following the Proclamation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the Australian Government recalled its Ambassador from China to discuss recognition of the Communist Government.[3] The Government of the Republic of China, having retreated to Taipei, Taiwan, maintained its embassy in Australia, until December 1972, and occupied the China seat at the United Nations until 1971. In 1966 Australia opened an Embassy in Taipei.[4] In 1972, diplomatic relations ceased following the decision of the government of then- Prime Minister, the Hon Gough Whitlam MP, to recognise the People's Republic of China and the Taipei Embassy closed in 1973.[5]

After diplomatic recognition of the PRC in 1972, Australia established an Embassy in Beijing in 1973,[6] followed by Consulates-General in Shanghai (1984), Guangzhou (1992) and Chengdu (2013). The latter was opened following release of the Asian Century White Paper by the Gillard government, and calls for an expanded diplomatic footprint in China.[7] On 9 November 2014, then-Foreign Affairs Minister, the Hon Julie Bishop MP, formally opened the Australian Consulate-General in Chengdu.[8] In March 2017, an agreement was signed to establish a fifth Australian Consulate-General in 2018, to be located in the northern city of Shenyang.[9]

From 1991 to 2008, the Ambassador to China was also accredited to Mongolia.

As a result of Australia's recognition of the PRC in 1973, Australia has no diplomatic representation in Taiwan and continues economic, trade and cultural relations through the Australian Office in Taipei.

Office-holders

Building of the former Australian Legation in Chongqing, 1941–1946.

Ministers to the Republic of China

Name Start of term End of term References
Frederic Eggleston 28 October 1941 25 February 1944 [10]
Keith Officer (Chargé d'affaires) 25 February 1944 15 October 1945
Douglas Copland 1 January 1946 7 June 1948

Ambassador to the Republic of China

Name Start of term End of term References
Osmond Charles Fuhrman (Chargé d'affaires) 7 June 1948 14 November 1948
Keith Officer 15 November 1948 17 October 1949 [3][11]

Ambassador to the Republic of China (Taiwan)

Name Start of term End of term References
Walter Handmer (Chargé d'Affaires) 1966 1966 [12]
Frank Bell Cooper 1966 1969 [13]
Hugh Dunn 1969 1972 [14][15]
Tony Godfrey-Smith (Chargé d'Affaires) 1972 1973 [15]

Ambassadors to the People's Republic of China

Name Start of term End of term References
Stephen FitzGerald 1973 1976 [6]
Garry Woodard 1976 1980 [16]
Hugh Dunn 1980 1984 [17]
Dennis Argall 1984 1985 [18]
Ross Garnaut 1985 1988
David Sadleir 1988 1991
Michael Lightowler 1991 1996 [19]
Ric Smith 1996 2000 [20]
David Irvine 2000 2003 [21]
Alan Thomas 2003 2007 [22]
Geoff Raby 2007 2011 [23]
Frances Adamson 2011 2015 [24]
Jan Adams 2016 2019 [25]
Graham Fletcher 2019 present

Consuls-General

See also: Australian Consulate-General, Hong Kong and Macau and Australian Consulate-General, Shanghai

Chengdu

Name Start of term End of term References
Nancy Gordon 30 May 2013 7 November 2016 [7]
Christopher Lim 7 November 2016 date [26]

Guangzhou

Name Start of term End of term References
Maurine Chong November 1992 31 May 1996 [27]
Zena Armstrong 31 May 1996 28 September 1999 [27]
John Courtney 28 September 1999 11 September 2003 [28]
Kevin Magee 11 September 2003 25 October 2006 [29]
Sean Kelly 26 January 2007 20 November 2009 [30][31]
Grant Dooley 20 November 2009 25 June 2012 [32]
Jill Collins 25 June 2012 11 February 2014 [33]
Dominic Trindade 11 February 2014 5 January 2018 [34]
Jason Robertson 5 January 2018 date [35]

See also

References

  1. ^ CA 1977: Australian Embassy, People's Republic of China [Peking/Beijing], National Archives of Australia, retrieved 26 April 2015
  2. ^ CA 1979: Australian Embassy, People's Republic of China [Nanking], National Archives of Australia, retrieved 26 April 2015
  3. ^ a b "Ambassador to China Returning". The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 November 1949. p. 3.
  4. ^ Whitlam hasn't dumped Taiwan, Bruce Grant, The Age, July 14, 1971, page 5
  5. ^ Taiwan country brief, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
  6. ^ a b Jacobs, Michael (8 January 1973). "China accepts Ambassador". The Canberra Times. p. 3.
  7. ^ a b Carr, Bob (30 May 2013). "First Australian Consul General in Chengdu" (Media release). Minister for Foreign Affairs. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  8. ^ Bishop, Julie (9 November 2014). "Address to opening of Australian Consulate-General, Chengdu, China" (Media release). Minister for Foreign Affairs. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  9. ^ Yongqi, Hu (24 March 2017). "New Australian consulate general planned to facilitate appliers in Northeast China". China Daily. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  10. ^ "Sir F. Eggleston Appointed. Australian Minister to China". Queensland Times. Ipswisch, Queensland. 7 July 1941. p. 3.
  11. ^ "Diplomat for China". Recorder. Port Pirie, South Australia. 18 June 1948. p. 1.
  12. ^ "Taiwan awaits ambassador". The Canberra Times. Vol. 41, no. 11, 491. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 24 September 1966. p. 5. Retrieved 12 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ^ "Envoy's term finished". The Canberra Times. Vol. 43, no. 12, 375. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 28 July 1969. p. 1. Retrieved 12 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ "Envoy to China named". The Canberra Times. Vol. 43, no. 12, 390. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 14 August 1969. p. 11. Retrieved 12 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ^ a b "Not to be replaced". The Canberra Times. Vol. 47, no. 13, 300. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 7 December 1972. p. 1. Retrieved 12 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ "New Ambassador to China announced". The Canberra Times. 23 October 1976. p. 1.
  17. ^ "New envoy to China". The Canberra Times. 16 November 1979. p. 9.
  18. ^ "Argall new envoy to China". The Canberra Times. 17 February 1984. p. 3.
  19. ^ "Ambassador for China named". The Canberra Times. 18 April 1991. p. 4.
  20. ^ Evans, Gareth (23 November 1995). "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to China" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  21. ^ Downer, Alexander (8 November 1999). "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to China" (Press release). Australian Government.
  22. ^ Downer, Alexander (17 December 2002). "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to China" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012.
  23. ^ Downer, Alexander (23 November 2006). "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to China" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  24. ^ Rudd, Kevin. "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to China" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
  25. ^ Bishop, Julie. "Ambassador to China" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
  26. ^ Bishop, Julie (7 November 2016). "Consul-General in Chengdu" (Media release). Minister for Foreign Affairs. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  27. ^ a b Evans, Gareth (31 May 1996). "Appointment of Australian Consul-General, Guangzhou" (Media release). Minister for Foreign Affairs. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  28. ^ Downer, Alexander (28 September 1999). "Diplomatic Appointment: Consul-General in Guangzhou" (Media release). Minister for Foreign Affairs. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  29. ^ Downer, Alexander (11 September 2003). "Diplomatic Appointment: Consul-General in Guangzhou" (Media release). Minister for Foreign Affairs. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  30. ^ "Australian Consul-General arriving Guangzhou" (Media release). Australian Consulate-General, Guangzhou. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 29 January 2007. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  31. ^ Downer, Alexander (25 October 2006). "Diplomatic Appointment: Consul-General in Guangzhou" (Media release). Minister for Foreign Affairs. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  32. ^ Smith, Stephen (20 November 2009). "Diplomatic Appointment - Consul-General in Guangzhou" (Media release). Minister for Foreign Affairs. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  33. ^ Carr, Bob (25 June 2012). "Consul-General in Guangzhou" (Media release). Minister for Foreign Affairs. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  34. ^ Bishop, Julie (11 February 2014). "Consul-General in Guangzhou" (Media release). Minister for Foreign Affairs. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  35. ^ Bishop, Julie (5 January 2018). "Consul-General in Guangzhou" (Press release). Australian Government.
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