China tightens diplomatic protocol in latest tit-for-tat since passage of US acts
- US diplomats already needed permission to meet local Chinese officials, but those in six cities must now notify the foreign ministry five days earlier
- It follows numerous threats by Beijing to retaliate against passage of US legislation concerning human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang
A report by Guancha.cn said that, with immediate effect, US diplomats based in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang and Wuhan should notify the foreign ministry five working days before any such meeting.
The report said this was in response to a US requirement imposed in October, under which Chinese diplomats had to notify the US state department before meetings with local or state officials and with educational and research institutions.
US officials said at that time that the US move was a reaction to the Chinese government’s rules for American diplomats in China, who already needed to obtain permission from Beijing officials before travelling to official meetings in local provinces or institutions.
The US officials said that Chinese diplomats were not required to seek permission for their meetings, but that the restrictions were intended to persuade China to relent on its limits on US diplomats in China.
But Beijing said that October’s US restrictions were in violation of the Vienna Convention and that the Chinese side did not at that point make similar requirements of US diplomats and consular officers in China.