US consul general in Hong Kong named as Hanscom Smith, replacing Kurt Tong as Washington’s top diplomat in city and Macau
- America’s former consul general in Shanghai starts new role next month amid US criticism of extradition bill
- Smith speaks four languages including Mandarin and has three degrees
The Unites States’ former consul general in Shanghai will become Washington’s top diplomat in Hong Kong and Macau, starting next month.
Asia affairs expert Hanscom Smith will replace Kurt Tong as consul general from July, it was announced on Friday.
Tong will leave Hong Kong to take up a position in the private sector, having served as the chief of mission for the Americans in the city since August 2016.
When Smith was serving as the US consul general in Shanghai in May 2016, he married his same-sex partner Lu Ying-tsung, who is from Taiwan, in San Francisco.
In a press release, the US consulate general said Smith is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, most recently acting as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State responsible for China affairs.
“Smith previously served as consul general in Shanghai and as Director of the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs at the Department of State,” the statement said, adding he has also served at US embassies in Beijing and other Asian cities such as Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Kabul, as well as in Copenhagen and Yaounde, capital of Cameroon.