Consulate General of the United States, Wuhan

The Consulate General of the United States in Wuhan is one of the seven American diplomatic and consular posts in the People's Republic of China.

Consulate General of the United States, Wuhan
Seal of the United States Department of State
LocationWuhan, Hubei, China
Address568 Jianshe Avenue
New World International Trade Tower I Suite 4701
Jianghan District, Wuhan 430022
Inaugurated2008
JurisdictionHenan
Hubei
Hunan
Jiangxi
Consul GeneralMelissa Lan
WebsiteOfficial website

First established in 1861, the U.S. Consulate General in Wuhan reopened in 2008 at its present location at 568 Jianshe Avenue in New World International Trade Tower I. It is the smallest consulate of the United States in China, providing emergency services to U.S. citizens in the region and promoting economic and cultural exchanges. On June 8, 2012, Gary Locke, then-U.S. ambassador to China, announced that the Consulate-General in Wuhan would be expanded to include full consular and visa services.[1]

History of the consulate
The former US Consulate General house in Hankou
Area in violet colour denotes the consular district of Consulate General Wuhan

Beginning

The first American Consulate in Wuhan was opened in April 1861, one month after Hankow became one of China's treaty ports.

The old consulate built in 1905 was previously JK Panoff's Residence, located on the corner of the Bund with Station Road in the Hankow Russian Concession. It is a red baroque-style keep in brick and concrete structure. The consulate closed in 1949, after the end of Chinese Civil War.[2] Now, the building has been transformed into the Wuhan Career Fair Building.

Reopening

The U.S. Consulate General Wuhan reopened in 2008 after an absence of nearly 60 years. The consulate's office is located in the New World International Trade Tower, in the Hankou region of Wuhan.

When it reopened as an American Presence Post (APP), it was staffed by one American Foreign Service Officer.

The Consulate General of the United States in Wuhan was established in November 2007 under the provisions of the 1981 U.S.-China Agreement on Consular Facilities. The Consulate General focuses on providing emergency services to American citizens in the region, promoting U.S. exports and fostering other aspects of our commercial and economic relations, and expanding cultural and educational exchanges between the U.S. and central China.[3]

This is one of five American diplomatic and consular posts in the mainland of the People's Republic of China. The others are: the Embassy in Beijing, and consulate-generals in Guangzhou, Shenyang, and Shanghai.

The current Consul General is Melissa Lan.[4]

Expanding

On February 10, 2017, U.S. Consulate-General in Wuhan broke ground on site of future office in Minsheng Bank Building. The construction was planned to start in February and to be completed in summer of 2018, by which time the consulate's capable of offering non-immigrant visa, American citizen services, and other consular services. The new consulate office will also include a large multi-purpose room which will be used to host American cultural events such as lectures, movie nights, art and music.

Consuls General
Waving American Flag in front of New World International Trade Tower, where Consulate-General of United States in Wuhan is located.
Main entrance to the Consulate on 47th floor of New World International Trade Tower. Entrances to the consulate are equipped with Knox Box 4400 Series.
  • Melissa Lan, 2021 - Present
  • Jamie Fouss, 2017 – 2021
  • Joseph Zadrozny, 2014 - 2017[5]
  • Vlad Lipschutz, 2012 - 2014[5]
  • Diane Sovereign, 2010 - 2012[5]
  • Wendy Lyle, 2008 - 2010[5]

See also

References
  1. "Ambassador Locke's Remarks on Announcing Expansion of U.S. Consulate General Wuhan | Beijing, China - Embassy of the United States". Archived from the original on September 4, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  2. "ABOUT CONSULATE". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in China. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  3. "About Us | Consulate General of the United States Wuhan, China". Archived from the original on June 14, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  4. "Wuhan Consul General Melissa Lan". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in China. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  5. "New U.S. consul general in Wuhan assumes office". en.hubei.gov.cn. Retrieved February 19, 2019.

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