Mao Runlong, the outgoing deputy consul general at the consulate-general of China in Vancouver, gives his farewell speech on Jan 30. Provided for China Daily

In a changing of the guard, China's Consul General in Vancouver Liu Fei held a sendoff party for Mao Runlong, the outgoing deputy consul general, and welcomed Fan Xiaodong, the newly appointed deputy at the consulate on Feb 4.

Representatives of several local Chinese-Canadian enterprises and media attended the occasion.

At an earlier press conference, Liu discussed the prospects for China-Canada relations in 2015, and officially introduced the new deputy consul general.

Liu expressed her gratitude to Mao Runlong for his three years of service and dedication to establishing a deeper relationship between China and Canada.

"Everyone here at the consulate general of the People's Republic of China in Vancouver will miss Mr Mao, and I hope we can all warmly support the new deputy consul general Mr Fan, he is a great senior diplomat," said Liu.

Over his tenure, Mao actively participated in and supported numerous projects that promoted cultural exchange between China and Canada, Liu said.

His presence could be seen in memorable events like the Canada-China Tibetan Cultural Week, the First Canada Chinese Arts Bridge exhibition, the 2013 British Columbia "Chinese Bridge" Mandarin Speech contest, the Golden Panda North America International Short Film festival and the unveiling of the Year of the Ram stamps ceremony held by the Canadian postal service.

"Mr Mao served everyone with sincerity and great enthusiasm," said Zhu Zhanlun, chairman of the Chinese Benevolent Association of Vancouver. "He cared about the Chinese community and made great contributions to the promotion of China-Canada friendship and cultural exchange."

Prior to his position as the deputy consul general of China for Vancouver, Mao worked for the Beijing Service Bureau for Diplomatic Missions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Visa office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China for more than 32 years.

Mao will return to Beijing for retirement this month. As for the new deputy consul general, Fan Xiaodong said he was excited to serve the Chinese community of Vancouver and he hoped that the consulate could better serve Chinese-Canadian citizens.