New Zealand’s next Consul-General in Shanghai will be career diplomat Michael Swain, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said today.

"Shanghai is the booming gateway to eastern China, and has long played a leading role in China’s commercial development," Mr Peters said.

"New Zealand will have a strong presence at Shanghai's Expo in 2010, which reflects the city’s importance to our exporters and wider business community. Shanghai is also a major source of tourists to New Zealand.

Mr Swain is a Mandarin Chinese speaker. He is currently deputy director of the International Security and Disarmament Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and has previously been posted to Beijing and New Delhi.

He will take up his position in January 2009, replacing Wen Powles, who is returning to Wellington.