Amb. Kurt Tong is a partner and member of the Executive Committee at The Asia Group,
where he leads the firm’s work in Japan and Hong Kong, and on East Asia regional policy
matters. Prior to joining The Asia Group, Ambassador Tong served as consul general and chief
of mission in Hong Kong and Macau, leading US political and economic engagement with that important free trade hub. Prior to that role, he served as the principal deputy assistant secretary for economic and business affairs at the State Department from 2014 to 2016, guiding the Department’s institutional strengthening efforts as its most senior career diplomat handling economic affairs. He also served as the deputy chief of mission and chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Tokyo from 2011 to 2014, where he played a key role in setting the stage for Japan’s entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership and supporting Japan’s recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake. In 2013, he received the Cordell Hull Award for Economic Achievement by Senior Officers for his outstanding success in advancing US economic interests by reducing trade barriers, increasing market access for American products, and enhancing international cooperation across the Asia Pacific region. He also received Presidential Meritorious Service Awards for 2011 and 2018. Earlier in his career, Ambassador Tong served as economic minister-counselor in Seoul, counselor for environment, science, and health at the US Embassy in Beijing, deputy treasury attaché in Tokyo, and as an economic officer in Manila.
