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US-China relations
Hong KongPolitics

United States condemns Beijing’s new restrictions on American consul general in Hong Kong

  • Washington hits back at fresh requirement for its top representative in Hong Kong to seek permission from Beijing before meeting city officials
  • China and US have been engaging in a tit-for-tat imposition of diplomatic restrictions against one another

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The US consulate has registered its opposition to Beijing’s fresh curbs on its consul general. Photo: Dickson Lee
Jeffie Lam

The United States consulate in Hong Kong on Tuesday slammed Beijing’s new restrictions on the activities of America’s top representative in the city, saying they disregarded individual freedoms and diplomatic norms.

The latest rule requires the consul general, currently Hanscom Smith, to obtain approval from Beijing’s foreign ministry before meeting with Hong Kong government officials or personnel from education institutions and societies.

Coming in the wake of Washington’s decision early last month to limit the movement of Chinese envoys in the US, the curbs also appeared to cover the US envoy’s meetings with representatives of Hong Kong’s political parties.

“The United States objects to new restrictions imposed by the [People’s Republic of China] on the official meetings of the US consul general in Hong Kong,” the statement issued on Tuesday morning read.

It said Washington was forced to introduce its own restrictions on Chinese diplomats working in the US following years of Beijing imposing barriers on its representatives in mainland China.

The consulate highlighted that the US restrictions only targeted Chinese diplomats, with staff from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices in the United States still free to organise meetings without having to seek approval.

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