Consul General Maria Antonina Mendoza-Oblena shakes hands with Mr. Li Yunxiang, General Manager of the Jinyuan Group after signing the lease contract for the new chancery. (Photo by Xiamen Financial Investment Group Co. Ltd.)

29 May 2023, XIAMEN – Consul General Maria Antonina Mendoza-Oblena signed a 5-year lease contract for a new chancery for the Philippine Consulate General in Xiamen today. The signing ceremony was organized by Xiamen Financial Investment Group Co. Ltd. and attended by the Philippine Consulate General and Xiamen Foreign Affairs Office.

The new chancery is the largest villa in the Xiamen Consular Area, with a total land area of 1,670 square meters. Its three-storey building will be renovated to feature Capiz inspired lattice windows, limestone walls, and wooden balustrades to reflect the Filipino identity. Meanwhile, the main hall will be converted to a larger and upgraded facility that will enable the Consulate to offer improved services including visa processing for its clients in the Jiangxi and Fujian provinces.

Consul General Mendoza-Oblena thanked the Foreign Affairs Office and Xiamen Financial Investment Group Co. Ltd. for their assistance in facilitating the Philippines’ move to a new chancery in Xiamen. Since its inauguration in 1995, the Philippine Consulate General in Xiamen has stayed in the same building for 28 long years.

The new chancery is expected to be ready for inauguration by January 2024. The building’s architectural design and renovation will be carried out by Architect Tecson Uy, a Chinese national who proficiently speaks Filipino

Xiamen remains a strategic post for the Philippines as the majority of Filipino-Chinese trace their roots in Fujian province. Some of the largest Philippine investments in Xiamen include: SM, Robinsons, Eton, Oishi, and Boysen Paints.

Artist’s perspective of the new chancery building, located at the Xiamen Consular Area. (Perspective by Urbanworx Concepts and Construction)