US Consul Kurt Tong refuses to apologise for questioning Hong Kong’s autonomy from Beijing, saying ‘open conversation is good for everybody’

Top US diplomat in Hong Kong stands by remarks that the Chinese Foreign Ministry Office called ‘distortion and defamation’

Consul Kurt Tong says it is his job to “help stimulate open conversation … about the situation in Hong Kong’

Reading Time:3 minutes

In a February 27 speech, United States Consul General Kurt Tong said “certain recent events in Hong Kong have raised cautionary flags for some US observers.” Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 5:47pm, 4 Mar 2019Updated: 11:30pm, 4 Mar 2019

The United States’ top diplomat in Hong Kong has refused to apologise for a speech warning against Beijing’s involvement in the city’s affairs, insisting it was his job to help “stimulate transparent conversation”.

“I think people need to step back, take a deep breath, put things into context and realise that open conversation is good for everybody,” Consul General Kurt Tong said on Monday.

Tong said the main message of his February 27 speech was that Hong Kong was a good place to do business. He stood by remarks that outlined potential risks to the economy associated with the implementation of the “one country, two systems” principle under which the city is governed.

“I’m not going to apologise for saying Hong Kong is a great place to do business or Hong Kong is a wonderful city,” Tong said.

“Identifying risks is not a bad thing. It is important to talk about possible future scenarios, so we can think about the best way to operate in the future context.”

Tong defended his remarks days after he ignited a diplomatic dispute by warning in his speech that Beijing’s “intimate” involvement in Hong Kong’s decision-making could hurt the economy and business sentiment. He also said 2018 was “not a good year for Hong Kong’s history in terms of maintaining its autonomy under ‘one country, two systems’”.