The U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong held an Independence Day reception on Thursday (26th). Compared to last year, the number of personnel sent by the Hong Kong government and the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in Hong Kong was "downgraded." The event also escalated into a war of words between Hong Kong and U.S. officials, with Consul General Rupert May reiterating his concerns about the treatment of Jimmy Lai, founder of Next Media, and other "political prisoners." In the evening, the Hong Kong government issued a lengthy statement strongly condemning Consul General May for smearing the Hong Kong National Security Law.
U.S. Consul General in Hong Kong, John Mayer, will be transferred to the position of Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in China next month. This will be his last appearance in this capacity at the U.S. Independence Day reception in Hong Kong. In his remarks, he thanked Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development John Yau for his interactions with the American business community and also expressed his gratitude to John Paulson, Director of the Policy Research Office of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong. He noted that despite differences, the two sides have maintained open and frank dialogue over the past three years. He stated that the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong, established in 1843, is the oldest diplomatic mission in Hong Kong. He acknowledged that the relationship between the two sides has experienced ups and downs but remains strong, and expressed optimism about jointly overcoming new challenges.
However, when Yau Ying-wah delivered his speech, he strongly opposed the US imposing additional tariffs on Hong Kong, calling it "illogical" and demanding that it be corrected as soon as possible. He also said that Hong Kong has always been a free port, and cited a report that Hong Kong ranks third in the world in competitiveness, indicating that Hong Kong is very valuable to American companies and that Hong Kong will continue to welcome investment from companies around the world, including the United States.
Mei Ruirui: This is absolutely not the Hong Kong I have known for many years.
Recent media reports indicate that several schools in Hong Kong received a "friendly reminder" from the Education Bureau stating that students' participation in the US Independence Day activities organized by the US Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau might violate the National Security Law, and that students should be discouraged from participating. When speaking to the media, Mayor Rupert Murdoch responded for the first time, expressing disappointment and bewilderment. "Try to find any element in this event that could affect national security?" he said. He stated bluntly that such a thing has never happened before, "and it is definitely not the Hong Kong I have known for many years." Murdoch added, "If you don't even allow normal interaction between students and the embassy, then you cannot be a super-contact."
Furthermore, he reiterated his concerns about the treatment of Jimmy Lai, founder of Next Media, and other "political prisoners." He expressed deep disappointment with the "transnational repression," stating that the Hong Kong government's attempt to enforce the Hong Kong National Security Law on people in the United States was "an attempt to restrict the freedom of speech of Americans." He also expressed his disapproval of the fact that authorities have begun to arrest the families of overseas activists.
Around 10 p.m., the Hong Kong government issued a 1,400-word press release criticizing May Rupert Ho for "completely disregarding the spirit of the rule of law and deliberately misleading the public and smearing the National Security Law with false and biased statements," and strongly condemned this. The spokesperson also stated that the legal proceedings in Jimmy Lai's case are still ongoing, and no one should comment on the case; this was tantamount to a veiled attack.
In the past two years, the Hong Kong SAR government was represented by Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong, while this year it was represented by Secretary for Commerce and Economy Edward Yau. Last year, the Chinese side was represented by Deputy Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong, Pan Yundong, while this year the Commissioner's Office was represented by Director of the Policy Research Office, Bao Haibin. Both sides have downgraded their stance towards the US this year.
Rupert Murray has served as the U.S. Consul General in Hong Kong for three years. He is praised for being "down-to-earth" because he often goes out to the streets to taste Hong Kong-style food, such as wonton noodles, roast chicken rice, or two-course rice.
