India has opened its new state-of-the-art Consulate building in Shanghai, marking its first relocation in 32 years in China’s main business hub.
The Shanghai Consulate, opened on December 7, caters to India’s burgeoning business community in the eastern region of China, home to top trade and business hubs like Yiwu, where a number of Indian businesses are present.
The sprawling new Chancery building at the prominent Dawning Centre in Changning District, covering 1,436.63 sq.m — more than double the size of the previous one — was inaugurated by Indian Ambassador to China Pradeep Kumar Rawat.
It commenced full operations from its new premises on December 8, according to a press release by the Consulate.
Underlining the importance of the opening of the new Consulate for the first time since 1992, Rawat said that this year remained special as India and China celebrated the 75th year of bilateral diplomatic ties.
Shanghai was unique for its ties with India, now represented by a truly world-class international level Consulate General of India, he said, according to details provided by Indian officials.
Over 400 guests, including members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of the Shanghai Municipal Government, and members of the Indian diaspora from Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Suzhou, Nanjing, Yiwu, Keqiao and other cities under the Consulate’s jurisdiction were present at the opening, the press release said.
Consul General Pratik Mathur, in his address, reaffirmed the Shanghai Consulate’s commitment to ensuring seamless services for Indian nationals and Chinese partners.
Thanking the Ministry of External Affairs and local Shanghai authorities for their support, he said that the expansion enabled the consolidation of consular, commercial, cultural, and administrative functions on a single, secure, modern floorplate. This, he said, would result in enhanced efficiency and improved public service delivery.
Highlighting the significance of strengthening India’s oldest consular presence in mainland China, he added that the Dawning Centre’s location in the Hongqiao-Gubei foreign business corridor, home to several diplomatic missions and major multinational corporations, offered the Consulate an excellent strategic vantage point.
Its proximity to the Hongqiao transportation hub and the Gubei international community further supported the Consulate’s expanding engagement across East China, Mathur said in his speech posted on X.
Reflecting India’s broader approach to inclusive and people-centric governance, Mathur said that the move was aligned with the spirit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas”.
The upgraded facilities, he added, embodied this ethos by enabling better service delivery to the entire Indian community and all stakeholders engaging with the Consulate.
The Consulate opening also came at a time of renewed dynamism in bilateral exchanges, said Mathur, highlighting initiatives such as the recently opened direct flights between India and Shanghai, which would further strengthen trade, travel, and business linkages, making the enhanced capacity of the new Chancery particularly timely.
“As we step into this beautiful new chapter, let us together make this Chancery not just an office, but a vibrant hub of friendship, commerce, culture, and people-to-people ties between India and the Eastern China region,” he said.
