Press & Commentary
Written comment on Hong Kong and US law, trade, Taiwan and the APEC meetings, on the record or on background, the same day.
Adam Clermont
Adam Clermont is an American lawyer in Hong Kong, qualified as a solicitor in Hong Kong and admitted in the United States. He writes on trade, logistics and regulatory enforcement for Loadstar Premium, and on Hong Kong life and politics at The Escalator. He is the author of Hong Kong Belongs to Hongkongers and The Wound That Never Closed: Taiwan, China, and the End of Strategic Ambiguity. He has been quoted in The Straits Times and interviewed on The Howie Carr Show, his commentary has appeared in China Daily, and economist Stephen Roach cited his rebuttal as one that made him rethink his thesis on Hong Kong. He has lived in Hong Kong for more than a decade.
What I can explain
US-China trade: The truce, tariffs, Section 301, port fees, export controls, and what the legal notices actually say.
Hong Kong’s legal system: The common law, the courts, and how national security cases are charged and decided.
APEC 2026: The Finance Ministers’ Meeting in Hong Kong in October, the leaders’ summit in Shenzhen in November, and what the trade, supply chain and digital economy agenda means for Hong Kong.
Taiwan and reunification: Cross-strait relations, Beijing’s reunification policy, the end of strategic ambiguity, and what Washington and Beijing each say about them.
Hong Kong’s political system: Electoral reform, the “patriots administering Hong Kong” framework, Article 23, and what democracy in Hong Kong looks like now.
Arms sales and export controls: US arms sales to Taiwan, the Taiwan Relations Act, sanctions, and how defense and dual-use goods move through Hong Kong.
How I work with reporters
Same-day written comment: On the record or on background, sent in writing so you can quote it accurately.
Two systems, side by side: Hong Kong and US law explained in plain English, with the differences that matter to your story.
Recent commentary & mentions
- Loadstar Premium: UPS or Ceva? Who carried F-35 parts to Hong Kong? Well, the chain of custody failed either way (Sep 24, 2026)
- Cited by David Cottam, China Daily: Stephen Roach’s pronouncements out of touch (Aug 20, 2026)
- LinkedIn: Stephen Roach Is Still Wrong About Hong Kong. Here’s Why. (Aug 19, 2026)
- Cited by Stephen Roach: Social Media and the Character of a City, Substack (Aug 2, 2026)
- UK Talk Radio: Author of the Month: Hong Kong Belongs to Hongkongers (Jan 1, 2026)
- Hong Kong Visa Geeza: A Letter to Hong Kong: Seeing Clearly Through the Fog (Dec 15, 2025)
- China Daily: New York Times got the Hong Kong fire completely wrong (Dec 11, 2025)
- Guest, NewsX World Primetime (India): The Wang Fuk Court fire, normalization of deviance and the Swiss cheese model of safety failure (Dec 2025)
- Quoted in The Straits Times: Hong Kong fire: Was foam, mesh, bamboo or blatant disregard for safety to blame?
- Guest, The Howie Carr Show: Meet The Experts: Adam Clermont, Attorney for Yvette Digan (Sep 23, 2025)
- Quoted in St. Louis Magazine: Lawsuit targets St. Louis-based Luxco after student suffers serious burns from Everclear (Sep 8, 2025)
- Quoted in The Standard (Hong Kong): Boston frat party blast burns Hong Kong student, high-proof spirit blamed (Jul 14, 2025)
Books
Hong Kong Belongs to Hongkongers
A Story of Identity, Resistance, and the Search for Home.
Buy on Amazon