New top US diplomat is no friend of Hong Kong

The appointment of Julie Eadeh as the new US Consul General in Hong Kong does not auger well for the city. In her previous posting here, she took an active role in the 2019-20 riots which rocked the very foundations of Hong Kong.

Photographs of her meeting with student activists Joshua Wong, Nathan Law and others at a hotel and at the consulate during the disturbances while she was head of the political department at the consulate went viral in the local and social media. It was seen by many at the time to be a direct US interference in Hong Kong’s internal affairs.

Now she is being criticised for reaching out to far-left activists in Hong Kong within the first month of her tenure in her new post. Meetings with former Chief Secretary Anson Chan and former legislature councillor Emily Lau, both sympathisers of the rioters, have been seen as an indication of Eadeh’s priority in dealing with Hong Kong matters.

Chief Executive John Lee said at a media briefing on Tuesday that consuls should perform their duties in Hong Kong in a manner befitting their diplomatic status and refrain from interfering in China's internal affairs and Hong Kong's affairs under any pretext or in any form.

“They should respect China's sovereignty and the rule of law in Hong Kong. I hope all consuls in Hong Kong will engage in constructive activities, not destructive activities,” he said. Of course he was referring to the US Consul General.

And Eadeh has been warned by Chinese authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong not to cross the “red lines” by interfering in China’s or Hong Kong’s affairs. The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) accused Eadeh of “being back in the old game” of disrupting the city. She is being closely watched.

Eadeh has taken over the consul general’s job from Gregory May who has been transferred to Beijing as the US’s deputy chief of mission there. May was very outspoken on China and Hong Kong policies during his Hong Kong posting and was berated many times for interfering in local affairs. Eadeh served under May as the consulate’s political director.

She has had a colourful career having served in Ankara, Doha, Shanghai, Bagdad, Riyadh, Beirut and, of course, Hong Kong. When she joined the foreign service in 2004, she covered human rights issues including the first ever elections in Saudia Arabia. She assisted in the largest evacuation of American civilians in Lebanon in 2006. She also speaks fluent Putonghua, which would have helped her in her Shanghai posting from 2010-2012.

Hong Kong has 70 diplomatic missions, of which 62 are consulate generals, meaning all, except one, answer to their embassies in Beijing. Eight are consulates.

The one exception is the US Consulate General which answers directly to China hawk, the new Secretary of State in Washington, Marco Rubio.

It will be Rubio who will direct Eadeh on the line to take in relation to Hong Kong affairs, including trade and political issues.

The combination of Rubio and Eadeh dictating the US’s role over Hong Kong is like vultures hovering over our skies looking for easy pickings. But it will not be easy for them. Hong Kong people are fully aware of their ill-defined intentions and will look at anything coming out of the consulate with caution and suspicion. It cannot be trusted.

Rubio, who served as a Republican congressman before accepting the Secretary of State job, sponsored the bipartisan Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which required the U.S. government to impose sanctions on officials implicated in human rights abuses in Hong Kong.
Following the U.S. Treasury Department's sanctions on Hong Kong's former Chief Executive Carrie Lam and other officials in 2020, China retaliated with tit-for-tat sanctions against Rubio and five other Republican legislators.

"China has decided to impose sanctions on individuals who have behaved egregiously on Hong Kong-related issues," the Chinese foreign ministry said at the time.

The Rubio/Eadeh relationship could spell disaster for Hong Kong and given her human rights background and previous Hong Kong experience during the 2019 riots, it appears she was placed in this new position on purpose – to fulfill the US objective of dismantling Hong Kong to slow down China’s rapid growth and development. Beware of the enemy within.

Mark Pinkstone

** 博客文章文責自負,不代表本公司立場 **

The Washington Post is in no position to cast stones at Hong Kong. While the almighty USA is in tatters with its leader Donald Trump sending the national guard to restore law and order in key cities, the Post maintains Hong Kong “is no longer an open, freewheeling city it once was.”

The paper’s editorial board posted on September 19 that investors were staying away from Hong Kong, journalists were being routinely denied entry visas, and western tourists were advised not to travel to the city or face arbitrary arrest under the national security law.

Scary stuff from the country’s foremost newspaper that carries tremendous clout in the corridors of power. But it’s all untrue, fake news. It may still be an authoritative newspaper in the eyes of a naive local population, but to the international community it has lost all credibility.

In the latest World Population Review, Hong Kong was placed fourth in the world for net inflows of foreign investments. It is estimated that the total foreign investment in 2024 brought to Hong Kong's economy exceeds more than HK$67.7 billion, which also represents a record high and a nearly 10 per cent increase compared to 2023. These companies expected to create 6,864 job opportunities in Hong Kong during their first year of operation, an over 67 per cent increase compared to 2023. That’s hardly investors staying away as claimed by the Post.

The Post complained about journalists being routinely denied visas to Hong Kong. There was only one case this year and another in 2018. And the reasons could be multiple, including having a criminal record, reporting that incites hatred etc. One case this year does not imply “routinely denied.” Hong Kong enjoys being host to about 70 foreign news organizations with Bloomberg alone employing several hundred manning its financial and news desks. In the almighty US, all media covering the Pentagon for example – local and foreign – must submit all articles to the newly named Department of War for approval before publication. So much for freedom of the press and expression with the media continualy being harassed by the president and his cronies.
The focus of the Post’s editorial was Jimmy Lai and the national security law.

It claimed that Lai was facing “manufactured charges of sedition” and that it was “a foregone conclusion that he’ll be found guilty.” How dare they suggest that Hong Kong “manufactures” criminal charges. The Post has made a groundless accusation without providing any evidence. Obviously, it has not done its homework, nor checked its facts, a prerequisite of any publication, especially when an editorial board of the Post’s reputation is headed by extremely experienced journalists. It’s unfathomable.

Hong Kong is a fair and just city. According to the 2024 World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, Hong Kong ranked sixth in East Asia and the Pacific and was placed 23rd out of 142 countries and jurisdictions globally. The almighty US was three points lower at 26. In other words, Hong Kong is better placed in maintaining the rule of law than the US.

And, according to the Post it’s a “foregone conclusion [Jimmy Lai] will be found guilty.” Again, how dare they. In Hong Kong a person is innocent until found guilty. It is not a “foregone conclusion.” The Jimmy Lai trial for sedition and colluding with foreign forces lasted for 156 days during which ample evidence for and against was presented to a panel of three judges. They are currently weighing up that evidence and will present their findings in due course. Only then will Lai and the public know his fate. There is no “foregone conclusion.” By making this statement, the Post’s editorial board is accusing the Hong Kong courts of bias. They owe the Hong Kong judiciary an apology for the accusation.

The paper concluded its editorial that it was up to “China’s communist rulers in Beijing” to decide if Lai is to be ever released from jail. Poppycock! The trial of Jimmy Lai has nothing to do with Beijing, as implied by the Post. Lai was arrested in Hong Kong, charged for alleged crimes committed in Hong Kong, and tried in Hong Kong.

It is a pity that an upstanding publication such as the Washington Post should tarnish its reputation by publishing a story with such bias that is harmful to Hong Kong without checking the facts.