Trump, Harris both like ‘poison’ for Beijing, says former top US envoy to Hong Kong

A former top American envoy to Hong Kong has said the two US presidential candidates are both like “poison” for Beijing since neither will offer any real respite on trade and Taiwan policies, although Beijing may attempt to divide Washington and its allies if Donald Trump returns to the White House.

At an event in Hong Kong on Tuesday, former consul general Kurt Tong also advised the local government to change Americans’ tainted perceptions about the city through advocacy, suggesting a “really popular” film or “an event in the political leadership of Hong Kong that creates a new symbolic focus” would help.

Polls ahead of the November 5 election show former president Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris neck and neck in the White House race.

Tong, now a managing partner at Washington-based consulting firm The Asia Group, said regardless of who was elected, the United States would end up in the same place in its approach towards Taiwan, while both candidates were also likely to continue to curb China’s access to advanced technologies.

“With respect to tariffs and decoupling, I think that there’s going to be a big difference depending on who’s elected president,” said Tong, the top US diplomat in Hong Kong between 2016 and 2019.

“If Trump is elected president, we’re going to see high tariffs in short order. If Harris is elected, we won’t. But there are other things where there’s going to be policy consistency.”