The US consulate is facing “increasing” difficulty in finding venues for its events in the city, with hosts pulling out at the last minute citing pressure from authorities, Hong Kong’s former top US diplomat has told HKFP.
The consulate has said they had experienced venues cancelling their bookings “on several occasions.” In some instances, they said the venues told the consulate explicitly that they had experienced government pressure, whilst others cited “maintenance issues.”
Gregory May – speaking exclusively to HKFP for an interview to be published this Sunday – reflected on his nearly three years as the US’s top representative in Hong Kong.
Days before leaving his role last Sunday, he said that he had encountered increasing obstacles when looking to secure venues for consulate events. The diplomat said hotels and other venues had agreed to host them, only to later back out.
“It hasn’t happened very often, but it’s happened enough, and it’s happened with increasing frequency,” May said. “Phone calls are made… they get the message that they really shouldn’t be hosting anything that’s sensitive.”
In response, the government told HKFP it had “no comment” and that rights and freedoms remain protected.
Ongoing trend as venues shy away
May said the treatment was not unique to them. He named the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) and the Democratic Party as two groups that had also encountered difficulties finding event spaces for their activities.
In February, the Regal Hongkong Hotel and Eaton HK axed the HKJA’s annual fundraising dinner bookings.
Regal cited a water leakage issue causing a power supply problem, while Eaton did not give a reason.
The Democratic Party, the city’s biggest pro-democracy party, has also encountered similar trouble, with its 30th anniversary dinner plans in November twice rescheduled due to venues retracting their bookings.
In 2023, restaurants axed the party’s dinner bookings. At the time, Chief Executive John Lee said he had “no comment regarding private activities.”
‘Sensitivity’
Asked what kind of consulate events had been rejected by venues, May said they were “anodyne” and non-sensitive activities, such as discussions on economic issues and promotion of US business interests.
“But for whatever reason, I think it’s just because it’s the US consulate. It takes on sensitivity that before, in Hong Kong, it would never have,” May added.
In a statement on Friday, a government spokesperson told HKFP they had no comment on the operations of individual businesses and organisations: “As repeatedly stressed, the HKSAR Government steadfastly safeguards the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents as protected by law, and those freedoms remain unrestricted provided that they are exercised lawfully.”
May, who left for Beijing days after speaking with HKFP to take on a role as the deputy chief of mission at the embassy there, said the US and Hong Kong governments’ relationship had been turbulent during his time.
The two governments have had solid cooperation on issues like combating drug shipments and scams, but there have been “political differences” that have made their relationship “testy,” he said.
At an Independence Day event last Friday, during which he announced his departure, May said he was a big fan of Hong Kong – but what was “not so great” was what he called the “erosion of freedom” at the hands of the mainland Chinese and Hong Kong authorities.
May said he was especially concerned about the treatment of Jimmy Lai, the former owner of pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, who has been charged under the national security law.
Hours later, the Hong Kong government issued a statement, saying that May’s remarks were “untrue and biased.”
“The suggestion that persons or organisations with certain backgrounds should be immune from legal sanctions for their illegal acts and activities… is totally contrary to the spirit of the rule of law,” the statement read.
HKFP will soon be offering previews of its original reporting to all members donating HK$150+ per month. As a one-off preview of our member benefits, all HKFP newsletter recipients will receive the first instalment of our members newsletter on Friday for free, featuring our full, exclusive sit-down with Gregory May.
