On October 13, AmCham China – Central China Chapter hosted an official welcome dinner in Wuhan in honor of the new U.S. Consul General, Jamie Fouss. Steve Carpenter, Chair of the Central China Executive Committee, and over 50 members of AmCham China and the Wuhan business community gathered to welcome Fouss to the new position.
"For the past few years, the Wuhan Consulate has grown rapidly. We started with one officer in 2008, and now we have 10 officers and 23 locally employed staff, and will have over 30 diplomats in the next year," said Fouss. He assisted with the original site selection of the office building in Wuhan few years ago, however there is a new facility under construction now. Once completed, expected in late 2018, US citizen services will be provided in full in Wuhan. Until then, the Consulate is limited to providing very basic citizenship services for Americans. Fouss hopes that after the Consulate gains the ability to issue US visas, it will boost the exchange between Central China and the US in areas such as travel, business, culture, and education.
Fouss encouraged the audience to talk and work more with the US Commercial Service in order to expand business operations in Wuhan. He remarked, "We grow together, work closely with each other, and support each other to cultivate a larger and more successful American business community."