Kurt Tong

Kurt Walter Tong is an American businessman and former diplomat. He was Consul General of [the United States of America to Hong Kong and Macau] during the Umbrella Revolution. He joined The Asia Group in July 2019 and is a Managing Partner at the firm.

Early life and education

Tong was born in Ohio and raised in Massachusetts. He graduated with an A.B. from the Woodrow [Wilson School of Public and International Affairs] at Princeton University in 1987. He studied at the Beijing Institute of Education, Inter-University Program for [Chinese Language Study], Inter-University Center for [Japanese Language Studies], and International Christian University. He is fluent in Mandarin and Japanese.

Career

Tong previously was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Department of State's Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs and replaced Clifford Hart in Hong Kong in August 2016. He arrived in Hong Kong on August 27, 2016, to assume his position as the Consul General.
Tong was the Senate-confirmed U.S. Ambassador for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation when the United States hosted the forum in 2011. He was the Deputy Chief of Mission for the Embassy of the [United States, Tokyo|United States Embassy in Tokyo, Japan] from 2011 to 2014. Earlier, he was Director for Korean Affairs at the United [States Department of State|U.S. Department of State], and Director for Asian Economic Affairs at the White House, and participated in the Six Party Talks with North Korea. He also worked at the U.S. embassies in Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo and Manila.