The Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

() is a diplomatic mission of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

(PRC) at 588 Great South Road in the suburb of Ellerslie in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. The consulate serves cities in the Auckland Region,

Waikato Waikato () is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsul ...

region, and the

Northland Region The Northland Region ( mi, Te Tai Tokerau) is the northernmost of New Zealand's 16 local government regions. New Zealanders sometimes refer to it as the Winterless North because of its mild climate all throughout the year. The main population ...

.Regions
" ''Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Auckland''. 19 November 2003. Retrieved on 28 January 2009.

History

On 9 May 1991, the People's Republic of China signed the "Agreement on the Establishment of Consulate Generals and the Memorandum on the Consulate Districts of the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Auckland and that of New Zealand in Shanghai," which allowed for the establishment of the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Auckland and the Consulate-General of New Zealand in Shanghai and their respective consular districts. New Zealand signed the agreement on 8 June 1992. The Auckland PRC consulate opened in June 1992. In February 2021, the consulate was affected by a phony

bomb threat A bomb threat or bomb scare is a threat, usually verbal or written, to detonate an explosive or incendiary device to cause property damage, death, injuries, and/or incite fear, whether or not such a device actually exists. History Bomb threat ...

made by individuals including those with the names of "张卫能 utoyo" and that of “full_discl0sure”, on an Auckland area events website ''Aucklife'' that they had taken over via hacking. Their motive was reportedly a punitive response against China due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

Controversies

30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests

In late July 2019, the media organisation Newsroom reported that the Vice Consul General Xiao Yewen had lobbied

Auckland University of Technology Auckland University of Technology (AUT) ( mi, Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau) is a university in New Zealand, formed on 1 January 2000 when a former technical college (originally established in 1895) was granted university status. AUT ...

(AUT) into cancelling an event commemorating the 30th anniversary of the

Tiananmen Square massacre The Tiananmen Square protests, known in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident (), were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing during 1989. In what is known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, or in Chinese the June Fourth ...

. Newsroom also reported that the Consulate-General had lobbied AUT and the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

into dropping the screening of a documentary criticising the

Confucius Institute Confucius Institutes (CI; ) are public educational and cultural promotion programs funded and arranged currently by the , a government-organized non-governmental organization (GONGO) under the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic o ...

s in 2018. While AUT went ahead with the screening, the University of Auckland cancelled their screening.

2019–20 Hong Kong protests

In early August 2019, the Chinese-Consulate General praised what it deemed the "patriotic actions" of Chinese students who confronted a group of pro-Hong Kong democracy student activists at the University of Auckland, who had set up a Lennon Wall commemorating the

2019–2020 Hong Kong protests The Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement, also known as the 2019 Hong Kong protests, or the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, were a series of demonstrations from 15 March 2019 in response to the introduction by the Hong Kong government ...

. One of the Chinese students had struck a Hong Kong student during an altercation at the university in late July 2019. The Consulate-General also condemned pro-Hong Kong activists as separatists. In response, ACT Party leader David Seymour sent a letter to the Consulate-General criticising it for interfering in New Zealand internal affairs. On 7 August 2019, it was reported that New Zealand

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade may refer to: * Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade (Jamaica) * Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (New Zealand) * Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (South Korea) South Korea's Ministry of ...

officials had cautioned Chinese officials about their interference in New Zealand affairs.

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Jacinda Ardern Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician who has been serving as the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and leader of the Labour Party since 2017. A member of the Labour Party, she has been the member of ...

also defended New Zealand's commitment to free speech on university campuses. In response, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson

Hua Chunying Hua Chunying (; born 24 April 1970) is a Chinese official and former diplomat serving as spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China since 2012 and as the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2021. H ...

defended the Consulate-General's actions as "fulfilling its duty" and being "beyond reproach." Hua also criticised local "Hong Kong independence" activists for stirring up anti-China sentiment and called on certain New Zealanders to stop condoning "anti-China separatism" under the guise of free speech.

References

External links

Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Auckland
{{Diplomatic missions in New Zealand China, People's Republic of