Consulate General of the United States, Hong Kong and Macau explained

Consulate General of the United States,
Hong Kong and Macau

Address:No. 26, Garden Road,
Central,
Hong Kong Island,
Hong Kong
Consul General:Gregory May
T:美國駐香港及澳門總領事館
S:美国驻香港及澳门总领事馆
J:mei5 gwok3 zyu3 hoeng1 gong2 kap6 ou3 mun4*2 zung2 ling5 si6 gun2
P:Měiguó zhù Xiānggǎng jí Àomén Zǒnglǐngshìguǎn
Por:Consulado Geral dos Estados Unidos da América, Hong Kong e Macau

The Consulate General of the United States, Hong Kong and Macau, represents the United States in Hong Kong and Macau.[1] It has been located at 26 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, since the late 1950s.[2] The consul general is Gregory May, who has served since September 2022.

Due to Hong Kong and Macau's special status, and in accordance with the United States–Hong Kong Policy Act, the U.S. consulate general to Hong Kong operates as an independent mission, with the consul general as the "chief of mission" (with title of "ambassador)".[3] The consul general to Hong Kong and Macau is not under the jurisdiction of the United States ambassador to China, and reports directly to the U.S. Department of State as do other chiefs of mission, who are ambassadors in charge of embassies.[4] [5] [6]

All recent consuls-general are at the career minister rank in the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, whereas many other ambassadors are only minister counsellor.

History

Diplomatic relations started in 1843,[7] when the Americans established a consulate in Hong Kong with the consul working out of his residence. 9 Ice House Street (now The Galleria) began hosting the consulate in the early 1920s, and later the 1935 Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Building became the consulate's home on the second floor.[8] During World War II, the Americans gave the occupying Japanese army the key to the office, and after the war, the key was returned and nothing was damaged in the office. However, the consul general's residence on The Peak was blown up during the war, and the Japanese used bricks from the building to create a memorial.

In December 1945, the Americans and British signed the Lend-Lease Settlement Statement, an agreement designed to help the British cover post-war costs by allowing the U.S. to buy land on British colonies for government or education uses.[9] Land discussions between the U.S. consul general and Hong Kong governor began in 1946, when the Republic of China was in control of mainland China. The Americans were offered the 26 Garden Road site, a plot of land measuring, and in March 1947, the Americans let the Hong Kong government know that it would like to purchase the site under the Lend-Lease Settlement Statement. The approval was granted three months later, and in 1954, construction plans were announced. Construction was finished in June 1957, and the land lease was signed in 1960.

In the lease, an option to purchase the land as a freehold was included. In January 1997, the U.S. wanted to exercise this option, but the proposal was rejected in favor of a 999-year lease, backdated to start on 9 April 1950.[10] The U.S. has the longest lease in all of the People's Republic of China, as the last 999-year lease granted before this was in 1903, meaning the consulate has 47 more years of length than the next newest 999-year lease.

In June 2013, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden claims that there is a CIA station inside the U.S. consulate general in Hong Kong, and later both the U.S. consulate and Hong Kong officials declined to comment.[11]

In March 2021, two employees from the consulate, a married couple living in Dynasty Court Tower 3, were discovered to have COVID-19 (cases 11319 and 11320).[12] Their three-year-old daughter was also found to be infected, closing her preschool, Woodland Montessori Academy.[13] Some mainland Chinese and pro-Beijing news reports, including from Dot Dot News, Global Times, and others, claimed that the family used diplomatic immunity to avoid quarantine, which both the United States and Carrie Lam denied; Lam stated that the children were sent to the hospital to join their parents.[14] The pro-Beijing Federation of Trade Unions and Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress staged protests at the consulate, believing that the family had invoked diplomatic immunity.

In 2020, the mainland Chinese government required the U.S. consul general to obtain permission from China's Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong before meeting with local government officials or local government educational institutions; in 2023, the rule was changed so that the U.S. consul general now had to provide 5 days of advanced notice.[15]

Information

In the May 2012 Office of Inspector General's report on the consulate,[16] the following statistics were provided on its operations:

In the newer November 2017 Office of Inspector General's report on the consulate,[17] the following statistics were provided on its operations for Financial Year 2016:

FY 2016 staffing and funding!Agency!U.S. direct hire staff!U.S. locally employed staff!Foreign national staff!TOTAL!Funding ($ USD)
Department of State852315526329,491,535
Department of Agriculture10671,047,077
Department of Commerce3013162,522,799
Department of Defense1203152,096,511
Department of Justice1101122,024,010
Department of Homeland Security11110223,101,604
Department of the Treasury2013290,456
TOTAL1252518833840,573,992
Within the consulate, several U.S. agencies operate, including the Department of Homeland Security (Secret Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection), the Department of Defense, and Department of Justice (Drug Enforcement Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation), and the Department of the Treasury (Internal Revenue Service).

Physical locations

The consulate building is located at 26 Garden Road. There is an on-site gymnasium in the building.

The consulate's warehouse is located at 11/F, 14/F, and 15/F at Leader Centre, 37 Wong Chuk Hang Rd.

The consul-general lives on The Peak at 3 Barker Road,[18] paid for by American taxpayers.[19] The site includes a garage and tennis court.

In addition, the consulate owns employee residences on 37 Shouson Hill Road, where a private shuttle takes employees to the consulate building. In May 2020, the consulate announced it would accept bids in an attempt to sell the six mansions, and with an agreement to re-lease them.[20] The mansions contain up to 10 bedrooms each, and measure 47382ft2 in total. Bids are estimated to value the property between HKD $3.1 billion – $5 billion. In February 2021, the property was given approval from Beijing for a sale at HKD $2.6 billion to Hang Lung Properties.[21] The property was bought in June 1948 for an unknown price, and construction of the buildings was completed in 1983.

There are also 13 employee residences and 14 parking lots at Wilshire Park, 12–14 Macdonnell Road.[22] In addition, the United States also owns one unit at Grenville House, and one unit at Hangking Court, 43 Cloud View Road.

List of U.S. consuls-general for Hong Kong and Macau

List of U.S. deputy consuls general (deputy principal officers) of the consulate general in Hong Kong and Macau

See also

Notes and References

  1. The Consulate-General's official name is shown as 'Consulate General of the United States, Hong Kong and Macau' on its web-site (http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov)
  2. Web site: About us . Consulate General of the United States Hong Kong & Macau . https://web.archive.org/web/20060922211757/http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/about_consulate_offices.html . 2006-09-22.
  3. Web site: Consul General Hong Kong & Macau – Consulate General of the United States. hongkong.usconsulate.gov. 2016-09-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20170106001125/https://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/cg.html. January 6, 2017. dead.
  4. https://oig.state.gov/system/files/isp-i-18-06.pdf Inspection of Consulate General Hong Kong, China
  5. Christopher J. Marut Appointed as Director of the Taipei Office of the American Institute in Taiwan . https://web.archive.org/web/20120519101824/https://www.ait.org.tw/en/pressrelease-pr1224.html . dead . 2012-05-19 . . 2012-05-08 .
  6. Web site: Chiefs of Mission . U.S. Department of State.
  7. Web site: 2019-02-15. 'Bad' US consulate to get facelift, says envoy Kurt Tong. 2020-07-28. South China Morning Post. en.
  8. "Mission Overview." Consulate General of the United States, Hong Kong and Macau. April 29, 1997. Retrieved on November 15, 2018.
  9. Web site: 2018-08-18. The story of how US consulate got a 999-year lease in central Hong Kong. 2020-07-28. South China Morning Post. en.
  10. Web site: Webb-site Reports. 2020-04-21. webb-site.com.
  11. Web site: US consulate, Hong Kong no comment on Snowden. June 10, 2013 .
  12. Web site: 2021-03-15. Hong Kong Covid-19 cluster forces US consulate to close; new lockdown in force. 2021-03-17. South China Morning Post. en.
  13. Web site: 2021-03-17. Hong Kong preschool shuts as toddler among 11 new cases of Covid-19. 2021-03-17. South China Morning Post. en.
  14. Web site: 2021-03-16. US slams Chinese media for saying consulate staff in Hong Kong skipped quarantine. 2021-03-17. South China Morning Post. en.
  15. Web site: 2023-02-14 . Beijing restriction on US diplomatic talks with Hong Kong politicians eased . 2023-02-14 . South China Morning Post . en.
  16. Web site: Office of Inspector General 2012 Report.
  17. Web site: OIG 2017 report. July 23, 2020. March 26, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210326150507/https://www.stateoig.gov/system/files/isp-i-18-06.pdf. dead.
  18. Web site: Residence of the USA Consul-General [????- ] Gwulo: Old Hong Kong]. gwulo.com. 2020-04-21.
  19. Web site: Inside the US Consul to Hong Kong's residence on The Peak. South China Morning Post. 2020-04-21.
  20. Web site: 2020-05-30. US government offers to sell six Hong Kong mansions valued at US$645 million. 2020-06-18. South China Morning Post. en.
  21. Web site: 'Beijing okays sale of US consulate-owned property' – RTHK. 2021-02-18. news.rthk.hk. en-gb.
  22. Web site: 2020-06-26. A rare 999-year lease tops America's property portfolio in Hong Kong. 2020-06-27. South China Morning Post. en.
  23. Web site: U.S.-Hong Kong Diplomatic History . [Consulate General of the United States Hong Kong & Macau.].
  24. Web site: U.S. consular officials in Hong Kong . The Political Graveyard.
  25. Book: The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant: October 1, 1880 – December 31, 1882. 9780809327768. Grant. Ulysses Simpson. 2008. SIU Press .
  26. https://books.google.com/books?id=lhRqUo9HzVwC&pg=PA60 "Bragg, Edward Stuyvesant."
  27. Web site: About Us: History . Consulate General of the United States Hong Kong & Macau . December 20, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130111121255/http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/history.html . January 11, 2013 . dead .
  28. Web site: List of former Consuls-General . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070513124745/http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/cg_former_cg.html . May 13, 2007 .
  29. Web site: US Consul General in Hong Kong . NNDB.
  30. Web site: Julius Cecil Holmes – Brigadier General, United States Army – American Diplomat. July 12, 2023 .
  31. Web site: Index to Politicians: Williams, O to R . The Political Graveyard.
  32. Web site: Richard Mueller. https://web.archive.org/web/20110721090054/http://dnet.hkis.edu.hk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=198&Itemid=149 . dead . 2011-07-21 . Hong Kong International School new Head of School .
  33. Web site: Announcement of Stephen M. Young as New Consul General of the United States of America in Hong Kong . Consulate General of the United States Hong Kong & Macau . https://web.archive.org/web/20120220055258/http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/pas_pr_2010022501.html . 2012-02-20.
  34. Web site: US consul general in Hong Kong named as Hanscom Smith, replacing Kurt Tong as Washington's top diplomat in city and Macau. 2019-06-14 . South China Morning Post .
  35. Web site: 2022-09-17 . New US consul general for Hong Kong Gregory May arrives in city . 2022-09-18 . South China Morning Post . en.
  36. Book: Who's who in California . Who's Who Historical Society . 1998 . 27 . 1880142066 . 338 .
  37. Web site: Korea: Country Reader . . 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211018234846/https://adst.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Korea.pdf . 2021-10-18 . 2021-10-18 . 181.
  38. For Eastern Affairs . . Newsletter . 10 . 1962 . 49 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211219171558/https://books.google.com.tw/books?id=3ZyHm0bkYy4C&pg=RA3-PA49&dq=JOHN+A.+LACEY+taipei&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiDu4G7rvD0AhWD-mEKHQ5IBpkQ6AF6BAgCEAI#v=onepage&q=JOHN%20A.%20LACEY%20taipei&f=false . 2021-12-19. 2021-12-19 .
  39. Web site: Excerpts from the China Country Reader . . https://web.archive.org/web/20140706005705/https://www.adst.org/Readers/China.pdf . 2014-07-06 . 2014-07-06 .
  40. Web site: Foreign Affairs Oral History Project: NORMAN W. GETSINGER . . 2000-01-19 . Charles Stuart Kennedy . https://archive.today/20200501164741/http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:t0RtvgRlB1IJ:www.adst.org/OH%2520TOCs/Getsinger,%2520Norman%2520W.toc.pdf+&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=tw&lr=lang_en%7Clang_zh-TW&client=firefox-b-d . 2020-05-01 . 2020-05-01 . 2.
  41. News: 新任美駐港副總領事 蘇禮文已抵港就任 . Newly-appointed DCG Sullivan has arrived in HK . 8 . . 1976-08-28.
  42. Web site: Nomination of Richard Llewellyn Williams To Be United States Ambassador to Mongolia, May 10, 1988 . . 2008-12-01 . https://archive.today/20110604000244/http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1988/051088h.htm . 2011-06-04.
  43. Personnel: Foreign Service . United States Department of State . . 283 . 1985 . 45 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211219192945/https://books.google.com.tw/books?id=LORHdQ_FZGMC&pg=RA9-PA45&dq=arthur+L.+KOBLER+HONG+KONG&hl=EN&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiSw6aEzPD0AhWBd94KHX8gCOMQ6AF6BAgDEAI#v=onepage&q=arthur%20L.%20KOBLER%20HONG%20KONG&f=false -->.
  44. Personnel: Foreign Service . United States Department of State . . 326 . 1989 . 41 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211219192945/https://books.google.com.tw/books?id=LORHdQ_FZGMC&pg=RA9-PA45&dq=arthur+L.+KOBLER+HONG+KONG&hl=EN&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiSw6aEzPD0AhWBd94KHX8gCOMQ6AF6BAgDEAI#v=onepage&q=arthur%20L.%20KOBLER%20HONG%20KONG&f=false -->.
  45. Web site: Foreign Affairs Oral History Project: DAVID G. BROWN . . 2003-01-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211112060333/https://www.adst.org/OH%20TOCs/Brown,%20David%20G.toc.pdf . 2021-11-12 . 2021-11-11 . 3 .
  46. Book: Mr. Jeffrey Bader . U.S.-Vietnam Relations: Hearing Before the Subcommittees on Asia and the Pacific of the Committee on International Relations, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fifth Congress, First Session, June 18, 1997 . . 1998 . 0-16-056114-0 . 49 <-- full image https://web.archive.org/web/20211221104402/https://books.google.com.tw/books?dq=Jeffrey+A.+Bader+hong+kong+deputy+1992+1995&hl=en&id=a3thQ7K4twMC&lpg=PA49&ots=4cBe4wBgRK&pg=PA49&sa=X&sig=ACfU3U1lDzivSQ3g39EQb_RvFtRNxWE61g&source=bl&ved=2ahUKEwiXgrLy0_D0AhVUD94KHShTBMoQ6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q=Jeffrey%20A.%20Bader%20hong%20kong%20deputy%201992%201995&f=false-->.
  47. Web site: U.S. Department of State, Key Officers of Foreign Service Posts, October 1996: Hong Kong . . https://archive.today/19970616013225/http://www.state.gov/www/about_state/contacts/hongkong1.html . 1997-06-16.
  48. Web site: John Medeiros: Deputy Consul General, U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong . U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong . https://archive.today/19990204014700/http://www.usconsulate.org.hk/dcg.htm . 1999-02-04.
  49. Web site: Kenneth Jarrett: Deputy Consul General . U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong . https://archive.today/20021225124428/http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/dcg.htm . 2002-12-25.
  50. Web site: Marlene Sakaue: Deputy Consul General . U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong . https://archive.today/20040816211518/http://www.usconsulate.org.hk/dcg/ . 2004-08-16.
  51. Web site: Tom Cooney, Deputy Consul General . U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong . https://archive.today/20130927015435/http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/dcg.html . 2013-09-27.
  52. Web site: Deputy Chief of Mission Tom Cooney . U.S. Embassy in Argentina . https://archive.today/20181126184844/https://ar.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/dcm/ . 2018-11-26.
  53. Web site: Deputy Consul General Thomas Hodges . U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong . https://archive.today/20190413024135/https://hk.usconsulate.gov/our-relationship/dcg/ . 2019-04-13.
  54. Web site: Deputy Consul General Paul Horowitz . U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong . https://archive.today/20191027075519/https://hk.usconsulate.gov/our-relationship/dcg/ . 2019-10-27.
  55. Web site: Deputy Consul General Colin Crosby . U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong . https://archive.today/20211221110802/https://hk.usconsulate.gov/our-relationship/dcg/ . 2021-12-21.

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