South Centre Bids Farewell to Ambassador Ma Yuzhen

South Centre bids farewell to Ambassador Ma Yuzhen who is relinquishing his position as Board Member of the South Centre. Mr. Ma served in this capacity for the last six years. The Chairman Mr. Benjamin Mkapa, the Members of the Board, and the staff of the South Centre deeply appreciate the guidance and support Mr. Ma has provided to the Centre. Mr Ma has been a strong proponent of South-South cooperation which contributed to steady development of the South Centre over the years.

Mr. Ma is a well-known senior diplomat in China. He has spent half of his career dealing with foreign affairs-related media affairs, a task requiring a comprehensive knowledge of international affairs and China’s foreign policy. Being one of the officers in charge of foreign affairs-related media affairs during the period of the late leaders Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai - as Deputy Director of Information, Department of Foreign Ministry (1969-1980) - he was personally involved in the press arrangements for such important events as the 1972 visit to China of the then U.S. President Nixon. Mr. Ma was Director-General of the Information Department and concurrently Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1984-1988). He served as Senior Advisor on Foreign Policy to Chinese leaders and as their spokesman.