Her Excellency Datin Paduka
Magdalene Teo
DPMB
张慈祥
Ambassador of Brunei to China
In office
3 April 2008 – 2018
Preceded byMahdini Basir
Succeeded byAbdu'r Rahmani
High Commissioner of Brunei to Canada
In office
15 March 2005 – 2007
Succeeded byRakiah Abdul Lamit
Personal details
Born
Teo Chee Siong

Brunei
OccupationDiplomat
Magdalene Teo
Simplified Chinese张慈祥
Traditional Chinese張慈祥

Magdalene Teo Chee Siong (Chinese: 张慈祥; pinyin: Zhāng Cíxiáng)[1] is a Brunei diplomat of Chinese descent who became the ambassador to China from 2008 to 2018, and high commissioner to Canada from 2005 to 2007.[2] She was also one of the players in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)'s probe into the Senate controversy.[3][4]

Diplomatic career

Canada

On 15 March 2005, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah agreed to grant audiences and deliver credentials to Magdalene Teo, the newly appointed Brunei high commissioner to Canada, at the Istana Nurul Iman.[5]

In records sworn in an Ottawa Courthouse related with the police investigation of former Senator Mac Harb, one of four senators facing corruption and breach of trust accusations, the RCMP references Magdalene Teo multiple times. None of the affidavit-based concerns raised by the police have been addressed, let alone substantiated, in court. She came in the nation's capital in 1995 and left in 1998, according to a report in Ottawa's Embassy Magazine. In 2005, she returned to Canada as Brunei's high commissioner.[3]

Investigators claim that Harb transferred 99.99 percent of the title to Magdalene Teo just hours after taking out a $177,000 mortgage on his Cobden house in October 2007.[6][7] By November, she had left the position as ambassador and, according to the court filing, was designated as an absentee homeowner on the home's insurance policy.[8] Magdalene Teo has been unable to be reached by the RCMP since her initial harsh email reply to their inquiry. The government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was urged to help find her. Despite her unwillingness to engage alongside Canadian authorities, she took on the role of a Chinese ambassador.[3]

China

In 2008, President Hu Jintao acknowledged her credentials. She was selected the "player with the most potential" in a tai chi competition for officials in 2008, according to the China Daily. In another interview, she extolled the virtues of traditional Chinese medicine for her lower back and leg problems. She is in charge of formal visits by Brunei's dignitaries and was one of 52 people awarded honorific title by the Sultan of Brunei in 2012.[3][9]

On 5 September 2014, Magdalene Teo and senior officials from the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources attended the 21st APEC Small and Medium Enterprise Ministerial Meeting in Nanjing.[10] Her and Yahya Bakar visited the CAEXPO Tourism Exhibition on 29 May 2015 in Guilin.[11] After witnessing President Xi Jinping arriving in Brunei on 18 November 2018, Magdalene Teo stated that bilateral relations between the two nations have stood the test of time.[12]

Magdalene Teo stated at a flight launch event in Zhengzhou that the flight launch from the Zhengzhou-Bandar Seri Begawan route by Royal Brunei Airlines was a new sign to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Brunei and China, as well as closing the exchange of the two countries in the trade, investment, tourism, and culture sectors.[13]

Honours

Throughout her career, she has received the following honours;

References

  1. ↑ "胡锦涛接受9国新任或首任驻华大使国书". People's Daily (2 ed.). 2008-04-04. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  2. ↑ Runa, Pg (2008-08-11). "Change your life forever by Media Oasis: Who is Who in Brunei now?". Change your life forever by Media Oasis. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Boutilier, Alex; MacCharles, Tonda (2014-01-26). "The mystery diplomat at the heart of Mac Harb's case". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  4. ↑ "Ex-senator Mac Harb cleared of mortgage fraud, blames Tory senators for his legal troubles". CBC Canada. 2018-07-11. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  5. ↑ "Sultanate - News | Negara Brunei Darussalam | Sultan presents credentials to envoys". sultanate.com. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  6. ↑ "Politics in Canada | Justin Trudeau News | CTV News". www.ctvnews.ca. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  7. ↑ "RCMP probe Harb's expense claims on 'uninhabitable' home". The Globe and Mail. 2013-07-25. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  8. ↑ "Top Liberal had no idea embattled senator was claiming living expenses for 'uninhabitable' house". National Post. 2013-07-26. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  9. 1 2 "52 distinguished persons honoured | The BT Archive". btarchive.org. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  10. ↑ "Latest News - 05.09.2014_THE 39TH APEC SME WORKING GROUP..." mprt.gov.bn. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  11. ↑ "MINISTER ATTENDED THE 2015 CHINA-ASEAN EXPO TOURISM EXHIBITION IN GUILIN, CHINA" (PDF). agriculture.gov.bn. 2015. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  12. ↑ 于小明. "Arrival eagerly awaited by local residents". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  13. ↑ "Penerbangan Hangzhou-Suratthani, Zhengzhou-Seri Begawan Beroperasi". malay.cri.cn. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
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