The outgoing US consul general in Hong Kong was barred by the state department from giving a tough valedictory speech last week because of fears harsh criticism of government actions in the territory could offend Beijing and derail a truce in the trade war agreed by Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping at last month’s G20 meeting in Japan.
Kurt Tong, a career diplomat, left his post as US consul general to Hong Kong on Friday after less than three years in the role.
Mr Tong is also retiring from the state department and had told numerous people that he planned to give a “kick-ass” speech on July 2 that would lay out a realistic view of US-Hong Kong relations and Beijing’s determined erosion of freedoms in the former British colony.
您已閱讀28%（740字），剩餘72%（1885字）包含更多重要資訊，訂閱以繼續探索完整內容，並享受更多專屬服務。