Kurt Tong

Ambassador Kurt Tong is a managing partner at The Asia Group, providing advice and support to corporations as they seek to succeed in Asia. Prior to joining the firm, Tong served as chief of mission and U.S. consul general in Hong Kong and Macau, leading U.S. political and economic engagement in the Special Administrative Regions. Previously, he was the principal deputy assistant secretary for economic and business affairs at the State Department (2014–2016); deputy chief of mission and chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo (2011–2014); and ambassador for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (2009–2011), leading the U.S. chairmanship of the organization during one of its most productive periods. As director of Korean Affairs in the State Department, he played a leadership role in negotiations with North Korea. He was one of the original architects of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement during the Bush and Obama administrations, including while serving as director for Asian Economic Affairs at the National Security Council (2006–2008). Tong teaches Indo-Pacific economic diplomacy as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University.