China appoints international affairs expert as new consul general in Brisbane

Ruan Zongze, 56, is the former vice-president of the CIIS, a think tank run by the foreign ministry

He has taken up the job at a time when relations between China and Australia have deteriorated

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Ties between Australia and China have been strained since Canberra called for an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Published: 9:00am, 17 Jun 2022

China has appointed a prominent international affairs expert as its new consul general to Brisbane, Australia’s third-largest city.

Ruan Zongze arrived in the Queensland capital on Wednesday, according to the Chinese consulate. Ruan, 56, is the former vice-president and deputy Communist Party chief of the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS) in Beijing.

He is the fifth Chinese consul general to Brisbane and will be responsible for business, education, culture and tourism matters in Queensland – Australia’s second-largest and third-most-populous state.

In a speech published on the consulate’s website, Ruan said he felt “a deep sense of responsibility” taking up the post this year, when China and Australia mark 50 years of diplomatic relations.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues to continue to promote and deepen exchanges and cooperation between China and Queensland at all levels and in all fields, and to bring more sunshine to further enhance the relationship between Australia, China and Queensland,” he said.

Ruan Zongze arrived in Brisbane on Wednesday. Photo: Weibo

Unlike most Chinese diplomats, who usually climb the career ladder within the foreign ministry, Ruan has spent much of his working life at the CIIS. The think tank is, however, run by the ministry and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has described it as an “incubator” for Chinese foreign policy.