Beijing drops need for US consul general to ask permission to meet Hong Kong politicians and officials

Beijing replaces need to ask permission for talks with requirement to give notice of five days
Original restriction imposed two years ago in tit-for-tat move after Washington limited movement of Chinese envoys in US

Hong Kong politics

Jeffie Lam

Published: 7:00am, 14 Feb 2023

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Beijing has lifted a requirement for the United States’ top diplomat in Hong Kong to obtain its approval before meeting city officials or representatives of public educational institutes and asked for five days’ notice instead, the Post has learned.

The central government imposed restrictions on the American consul general more than two years ago in a tit-for-tat move after Washington’s decision to limit the movement of Chinese envoys in the US.

A US consulate spokesman told the Post on Monday the requirement was replaced last November with a rule that only asked for prior notice.

“The consul general and other US representatives regularly meet with Hong Kong government officials, legislators, businesses, academics, civil society and religious groups, and ordinary Hongkongers as part of normal diplomatic practice,” the spokesman said.

Gregory May, the US consul general for Hong Kong and Macau. Photo: Handout

“Per requirements established by the People’s Republic of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the consul general currently notifies the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong of meetings with local government officials and government educational institutions five days in advance.”

The 2020 rules required the US consul general, his successors or anyone working on his behalf to obtain permission from Beijing’s foreign affairs office in the city before they visited Hong Kong government offices or met “personnel from these institutions”.

China says US consul ‘maliciously’ abuses Hong Kong national security law

The restriction covered official, private, social and video meetings, as well as ones with any “public or private education organisation or society and its personnel”, a document earlier seen by the Post said.

A political heavyweight aware of the change said some in the pro-establishment camp were told they no longer needed to avoid going to lunches, meetings or functions attended by the US’s top diplomat in the city.

Lau Siu-kai, a consultant at the semi-official Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies think tank, said he was surprised by the thaw as Sino-US relations had not improved over the last few years.

Lau highlighted the recent “spy balloon row” which led to US fighter jets shooting down what was said to be a Chinese surveillance platform.

He predicted the relaxations would have limited impact.

“The new rule will not change the fact that pro-establishment politicians in general are reluctant to meet the envoy because of the sensitivity that might touch a nerve of the central authorities,” Lau said.

He added their arguments “would not alter Washington’s view over Hong Kong issues”.

New US consul general for Hong Kong Gregory May arrives in city

One pro-establishment lawmaker, who asked not to be named, said he would still avoid meeting the US representative despite the relaxation.

“Our remarks will be recorded by the diplomats and submitted to the State Department in the form of reports, which might be made public someday. Who knows if our words will be misquoted?” he said.

The lawmaker said he would prefer to skip such exchanges to “avoid troubles”.

Experienced China hand Gregory May was announced as the new US consul general for Hong Kong and Macau last September.

May succeeded Hanscom Smith, who arrived in the city at the height of the 2019 anti-government protests.

May’s appointment came at a tough time in relations between Hong Kong and Washington as the imposition of the national security law by Beijing in 2020 and later US sanctions on city officials increased tension.

It is understood May extended meeting invitations to several lawmakers and members of the Executive Council, the city’s key decision-making body, but few had accepted.

Top US and China diplomats weigh first meeting since balloon row

Tik Chi-yuen, the only non-establishment member of the Legislative Council, said he and several colleagues from his centrist party Third Side met May and his team last month.

“We talked about Hong Kong’s opening-up efforts following three years of travel restrictions triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic and whether it would lessen the ongoing talent loss in the city,” he said.

“I also expressed my views that Hong Kong’s development should not be affected amid the Sino-US tensions.”

Tik added the talks were pleasant and that May was someone with a “softer approach”, a personality which he said Hong Kong needed.

The Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong has been asked for comment.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu was among 11 Beijing and Hong Kong officials sanctioned by Washington in 2020 amid accusations they had set out to “undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy and restrict the freedom of expression or assembly of the citizens of Hong Kong” after the imposition of the national security law.

Additional reporting by Lilian Cheng