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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GUANGZHOU 000602 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
State for EAP/CM and INR/EAP 
USTR for China Office 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL ETRD SCUL PGOV CH
SUBJECT: Guangzhou Consulate Count: In - Argentina, Ecuador, 
Ethiopia; Out - Sweden; New Total: 37 
 
(U) This document is sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly. Not for release outside U.S. government channels. Not 
for internet publication. 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  Ecuador and Ethiopia recently opened consulate 
offices in Guangzhou, and Argentina opened in name though its 
"presence" is currently limited to frequent visits by a nominated CG 
resident in Beijing.  Budget cuts at Sweden's Foreign Ministry will 
lead to the closure at month's end of its Guangzhou Consulate. 
These changes will leave Guangzhou with 37 consulates, although 
there are rumors that Chile, Peru, and Sudan will open offices in 
the next year or two.  Final para lists the current total of 38 
nations represented.  END SUMMARY. 
 
Two New Real Consulates; One Virtual Consulate 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶2. (SBU) In recent months, three new Consulates were established in 
Guangzhou.  Ecuador and Ethiopia have opened offices with one and 
two resident diplomats, respectively.  Ecuador's Consul General, Ms. 
Mariela Molina, told the CG that she is new to diplomacy and that 
her family has had a long-standing commercial textiles connection to 
Guangdong which she claimed was probably why she was chosen to serve 
as Consul General.  She left the impression that her family was 
footing the bill for their yet-to-be established office.  Argentina 
claims a consulate here and the Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office 
accepts this too, but they have no resident staff.  Beijing-based 
Mr. Jaime Juan Goldaracena has been nominated as their Consul 
General and he reportedly visits Guangzhou frequently. 
 
¶3. (SBU)  At the October 17 inaugural reception opening the 
Ethiopian Consulate, Ethiopia's Ambassador to China, Mr. 
Haile-Kiros Gessesse, emphasized the importance of Guangzhou to 
Sino-Ethiopian commercial connections as well as Ethiopia as an 
entrepot for Chinese firms investing in Africa.  He also lauded 
China's substantial development assistance programs to Ethiopia and 
Africa.  Ethiopian Airlines was mentioned several times (and given 
the banner advertisements may have footed the bill for the 
reception) as providing easy access with 14 flights weekly between 
China/Hong Kong and Ethiopia, including daily service  to/from 
Ethiopia and Guangzhou. (Note:  Ethiopia's diplomats reportedly 
approached the international school to admit their students at 
greatly reduced tuition rates.) 
 
Swedish Consulate Felled by Indiscriminate MFA Budget Axe 
----------------------------- ---------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU)  Swedish Consul General Ms. Winni Fejne recently told the 
CG that in early 2009 she had been advised by Stockholm that their 
Guangzhou Consulate would close, and in August she was told to close 
down operations as of the end of October.  She opined that MFA had 
given little consideration to the importance or value of their 
Consulate in Guangzhou and that this was the result of MFA's budget 
woes.  She said the consulate's non-immigrant visa operations would 
shift to Norway and the few immigrant visas from her district would 
henceforth be processed in Beijing.  Sweden would continue to 
fulfill its EU Presidency role until Spain takes over those duties 
at year's end.  After that, Sweden's physical presence in Guangzhou 
would be reduced to one commercial officer, while the remainder of 
its staff will be absorbed by their Embassy in Beijing and 
Consulates in Shanghai and Hong Kong.  A Beijing-based Economic 
officer will be dedicated  to covering her consulate's areas; she 
predicted he would spend more time outside of Beijing than in it. 
While their work offices will close at month's end, Fejne said she 
would stay on thru November to wrap-up details before returning to 
Stockholm.  Fejne said she had accompanied Sweden's Trade Minister 
 
GUANGZHOU 00000602  002 OF 002 
 
 
seven years earlier to help open the Consulate; she predicted an 
early return once budgets improve. 
 
Current List of 38 Consulates 
----------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) The current list includes:  Argentina, Australia, 
Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, 
Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, 
Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, 
Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, 
Russia, Singapore, 
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, 
United States, and Vietnam. 
GOLDBECK