Beijing tells new US consul general to Hong Kong to respect city’s rule of law

Beijing has called on the new US consul general to Hong Kong to uphold the principle of non-interference and respect the city’s rule of law, following the announcement that Julie Eadeh has taken up the role after receiving the central government’s approval.

Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said on Thursday that the central government hoped that Eadeh would respect China’s sovereignty and “abide by international conventions”.

Guo was responding to a media query about Eadeh’s arrival in the city, which noted that she met opposition activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung in 2019 and cited state media labelling her as a “subversion expert”.

“We hope the new consul general for the US in Hong Kong will abide by relevant international conventions, uphold the principle of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs, respect China’s sovereignty and the rule of law in [Hong Kong],” he told reporters in Beijing.

He added that Beijing hoped Eadeh would play a positive role in promoting exchanges and cooperation between the US and Hong Kong, as well as the healthy development of China-US relations.

The Post has reached out to the US consulate for comment.