US speaks out about China setting 4 'red lines' with the new US Consul General in Hong Kong
The US State Department responded to a Chinese diplomatic representative's statement of four "red lines" to the new US Consul General in Hong Kong.
On October 2, the US State Department responded to a senior Chinese diplomat in Hong Kong's statement of four "red lines" to the newly appointed US Consul General in the special administrative region, according to the South China Morning Post.
Earlier the same day, according to a statement issued by the office of the Commissioner of the Hong Kong Office of the Chinese Foreign Ministry - Mr. Cui Jianchun, Mr. Cui met with the new US Consul General in Hong Kong, Julie Eadeh, on September 30 to reflect on Ms. Eadeh's actions since she took up her duties in the special administrative region.
According to the statement, Mr. Cui "asked Ms. Eadeh to adhere to the basic norms governing international relations, including non-interference in internal affairs and completely severing ties with anti-China forces".
During his meeting with Ms. Eadeh, Mr. Cui outlined four things that the new US consul general should not do.
Accordingly, Mr. Cui asked Ms. Eadeh not to meet with people he thought the new US consul general should not meet; not to collude with “anti-China forces”; not to support or fund activities that could undermine the stability of Hong Kong; and not to interfere in Hong Kong’s national security cases.
In response, in a statement issued on October 2, the US State Department brushed aside Mr. Cui’s warning, saying that US diplomats represent the United States and are “tasked with promoting US interests globally and that is the normal way of working for diplomats around the world, including in Hong Kong”.
Ms. Eadeh took up her post as the U.S. Consul General in Hong Kong in August. Previously, in 2019, when she was the Political Section Chief of the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong during President Donald Trump's first term, she was said to have contacted opposition figures and invited them to U.S. events. Chinese media criticized American diplomats for these moves.