Kurt Walter Tong[1] (born 1962) is a business consultant and former American diplomat, and the former Consul General of the United States of America to Hong Kong and Macau during the Umbrella Revolution. He joined The Asia Group LLC in July 2019 and is a Managing Partner at the firm. [2]
Kurt Tong | |||||||||
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| United States Consul General to Hong Kong and Macau | |||||||||
| In office August 27, 2016 – June 30, 2019 | |||||||||
| President | Barack Obama Donald Trump | ||||||||
| Preceded by | Clifford Hart | ||||||||
| Succeeded by | Hanscom Smith | ||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||
| Born | Kurt Walter Tong 1962 (age 61–62) Ohio | ||||||||
| Alma mater | Princeton University (AB) | ||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 唐偉康 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 唐伟康 | ||||||||
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Tong previously was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Department of State's Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs and replaced Clifford Hart in Hong Kong in August 2016.[3][4] He arrived in Hong Kong on August 27, 2016, to assume his position as the Consul General.[5]
Tong was the Senate-confirmed U.S. Ambassador for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) when the United States hosted the forum in 2011.[6] He was the Deputy Chief of Mission for the United States Embassy in Tokyo, Japan from 2011 to 2014.[7] Earlier, he was Director for Korean Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, and Director for Asian Economic Affairs at the White House, and participated in the Six Party Talks with North Korea.[citation needed] He also worked at the U.S. embassies in Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo and Manila.[8]
Tong was born in Ohio and raised in Massachusetts. He graduated with an A.B. from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in 1987. He has also studied at the Beijing Institute of Education, Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Study in Taipei, Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies in Tokyo, and International Christian University in Tokyo. He is fluent in Mandarin and Japanese.[4][3]
References
edit- ^ "PN60 — Kurt Walter Tong — Department of State". U.S. Congress. April 14, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ "Press Release: The Asia Group Welcomes Ambassador Kurt Tong as Partner". The Asia Group. July 30, 2019.
- ^ a b "Consul General Kurt W. Tong". U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong & Macau. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
- ^ a b Lau, Stuart (June 10, 2016). "US appoints next consul general to Hong Kong". South China Morning Post. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
- ^ "U.S. Consul General Kurt Tong Arrives in Hong Kong". U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong & Macau. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
- ^ "APEC USA 2011 Biographies".
- ^ "Deputy Chiefs of Mission". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Japan.
- ^ "Consul General Hanscom Smith". U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong & Macau.
