CLEVELAND: Zhou Wenzhong, appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary for the People’s Republic of China to the United States in 2005, will speak at noon on Friday, January 18, 2008, at The City Club of Cleveland.

Zhou is a native of Jiangsu Province. After studying in England, he joined the Department of Translation and Interpretation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1975.

He served as attaché and third secretary in the Chinese embassy in Washington, then returned to the Department of Translation and Interpretation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, rising to serve as its division chief. In 1987, he was named consul general for China’s consulate in San Francisco and was appointed ambassador to Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda in 1990.

Zhou returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1993 as deputy director of the Department of American Affairs. He then served as consul general in Los Angeles in 1994 and as minister-counselor of the Chinese embassy in 1995. Zhou served as ambassador to Australia from 1998 to 2001, then returned as assistant minister in charge of American and Latin American affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

This Forum is in partnership with Yen Associates and the Cleveland Council on World Affairs.

Tickets are $18 for members and $30 for non-members. Lunch is included. They can be purchased by calling The City Club at 216.621.0082 or visiting the website at www.cityclub.org.