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The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) presented a public lecture by Mr. Joseph R. Donovan Jr., the newly-appointed Consul General of the United States of America in Hong Kong, on “Hong Kong’s Success is Important to the United States” today (19 November) on campus. Over 100 guests attended the lecture, including CUHK staff and students, members of the political, business, and academic sectors, and various foreign consuls.

The U.S. and the world face a wide range of challenges: the need to restore the health of the world financial system and economy, countering climate change, fighting global terrorism, alleviating poverty, preventing and controlling pandemic disease. The U.S. is also involved in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A new administration is about to take office in Washington, D.C. Within this context, does Hong Kong still matter to the U.S.? If so, why? What are the areas of common interest and cooperation between the two? How does Hong Kong fit into “the big picture” for the U.S.? In his first major public speech as Consul General, Mr. Donovan addressed these questions and more.

Mr. Joseph R. Donovan Jr. assumed responsibilities as Consul General of the United States of America in Hong Kong on 14 August 2008. He is responsible for the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions of China. Previously, Consul General Donovan served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy Tokyo (2005-2008), and was the Director for the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs in the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs at the U.S. Department of State (2003-2005).

His earlier assignments include: Chief of the Political Section at the American Institute in Taiwan; Deputy Political Counselor and Chief of the Political-Military Affairs Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo; Deputy Head of the Political Section at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing; and Branch Chief of the American Institute in Taiwan’s Kaohsiung Office. Consul General Donovan has also served at the U.S. Embassies in Seoul, ROK and Doha, Qatar.

Consul General Donovan was born and raised in Goshen, New York. He has a Master’s Degree in National Security Affairs from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California and a Bachelor’s Degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. Following his graduation from Georgetown, he spent two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Republic of Korea.

CUHK has been organising the Consuls General / diplomats lecture series since 2005. A number of famous diplomats, including the Consuls General of the USA, UK, Japan, France, Korea, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Italy, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to PRC, and the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC in Hong Kong have delivered lectures on the CUHK campus.