Beijing Has '4 Don'ts' for Top US Diplomat in Hong Kong

Beijing's top diplomat in Hong Kong met with the city's new US consul general this week to warn her against interfering in the territory's internal affairs, his office said in a statement on Thursday. Cui Jianchun, commissioner of the Hong Kong office of China's foreign ministry, met with Julie Eadeh on Tuesday to "lodge solemn representations" about her conduct, the statement said.

• Eadeh, who took up the new role in August, appeared to have angered Beijing for reportedly inviting pro-democracy figures to events, the AP reports. Beijing's office overseeing Hong Kong affairs reposted articles from pro-Beijing media outlets that criticized her moves.

• The statement said Cui laid out "Four Don'ts" for Easen, namely "don't meet the people who the CG shouldn't meet with, don't collude with anti-China forces, don't instigate, assist, abet or fund any activities that undermine stability in Hong Kong, [and] don't interfere with national security cases in Hong Kong," per Reuters. Cui urged Eadeh "to abide by fundamental norms governing international relations including non-interference in domestic affairs and make a clean break with anti-China forces," the statement said.
• On Thursday, the US State Department said, per the Hong Kong Free Press: "US diplomats represent our nation and are charged with advancing US interests globally, which is standard practice for diplomats around the world, including in Hong Kong."

• China's tough stance underlines the ongoing tensions between Beijing and Washington over Hong Kong affairs, in addition to friction over trade, technology, and Taiwan. In the latest article reposted by Beijing's office on Hong Kong affairs, Eadeh was described as a promoter of a "color revolution," a term referring to a mass protest movement seeking regime change, per the AP.
• It mentioned her meeting with pro-democracy activists Joshua Wong and Nathan Law during massive anti-government protests in 2019, alleging the diplomat had close links to "black violence," a term used by pro-Beijing media outlets and officials to refer to the protests.
• Another article took issue with her inviting former Hong Kong official Anson Chan and former Democratic Party Chair Emily Lau to recent events.
• This is Eadeh's second round as a diplomat in the territory, the Free Press notes. She was the political chief at the US Consulate in Hong Kong during the 2019 protests, when she met with Wong and Law. Her last posting was as the US consul general in Istanbul.