An American official who met opposition activists in Hong Kong during the 2019 anti-government protests is understood to be the top candidate to be the next US consul general in the city.
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Julie Eadeh, a career member of the US Senior Foreign Service and now the US consul general in Istanbul, is expected to take over the position from Gregory May, according to a source familiar with the matter.
A second source said Eadeh’s “name” had been “presented to the relevant Chinese authorities”.
“Now she is waiting for the green light from Beijing,” the source said.
Eadeh was the political section chief at the US consulate in Hong Kong and Macau during the 2019 turmoil.
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In August of that year, Hong Kong-based pro-Beijing newspaper Ta Kung Pao published photos of her meeting four Hong Kong activists including prominent opposition figure Joshua Wong, saying the images were evidence that “foreign forces led by the United States have become increasingly involved” in Hong Kong affairs.