US consul general in Hong Kong named as Hanscom Smith, replacing Kurt Tong as Washington’s top diplomat in city and Macau

Hanscom Smith will be the US’ most senior representative in Hong Kong when he becomes consul general next month. Photo: Facebook

The Unites States’ former consul general in Shanghai will become Washington’s top diplomat in Hong Kong and Macau, starting next month.

Asia affairs expert Hanscom Smith will replace Kurt Tong as consul general from July, it was announced on Friday.

Tong will leave Hong Kong to take up a position in the private sector, having served as the chief of mission for the Americans in the city since August 2016.

When Smith was serving as the US consul general in Shanghai in May 2016, he married his same-sex partner Lu Ying-tsung, who is from Taiwan, in San Francisco.

Hanscom Smith (right) with his partner Ying-tsung , who he married three years ago. Photo: Facebook

In a press release, the US consulate general said Smith is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, most recently acting as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State responsible for China affairs.

“Smith previously served as consul general in Shanghai and as Director of the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs at the Department of State,” the statement said, adding he has also served at US embassies in Beijing and other Asian cities such as Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Kabul, as well as in Copenhagen and Yaounde, capital of Cameroon.

His appointment has come amid rising concerns from the US political and business sectors over Hong Kong’s controversial extradition bill, which would enable the city’s government to transfer fugitives to jurisdictions that do not have an extradition agreement with the city, including mainland China.

Kurt Tong is stepping down as consul general after taking up the chief of mission position in August 2016. Photo: Nora Tam

A US congressional body has warned the bill could create serious national security and economic risks, saying it would allow Beijing to pressure the city into handing over American citizens living in Hong Kong under false pretences.

Smith also worked in the Office of Japanese Affairs at the Department of State, and was team leader at the United States Provincial Reconstruction Team in Muthanna Province, Iraq. He has also worked at the American Institute in Taiwan.

Smith holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University, master’s degrees from the London School of Economics and Princeton University, and a certificate in political studies from Sciences Po in Paris.

He was a fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs in Japan. He can speak Mandarin Chinese, French, Danish, and the Cambodian language of Khmer.

The US consulate general also announced on Friday that Paul Horowitz will arrive in late June to take up his new position as deputy consul general.