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US admits relations with China are at ‘critical juncture’ as it reopens Wuhan consulate after coronavirus closure
- Stabilised situation in the city where Covid-19 was first discovered allows US ambassador to resume operations there
- US state department acknowledges that tensions with Beijing make it essential to get its diplomatic staff back to China
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The US consulate in Wuhan, the initial epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in China, is set to reopen as conditions stabilise in the city.
“Ambassador [Terry] Branstad intends to resume operations in Wuhan in the near future,” Frank Whitaker, minister counsellor for public affairs at the US embassy in Beijing, said in an emailed reply to the South China Morning Post.
The consulate in the central Chinese city closed in late January when China imposed a strict lockdown there as the virus spread. The US State Department evacuated its diplomatic staff and US citizens on chartered flights.
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The Wuhan lockdown ended on April 8 and China has largely contained its outbreak in recent weeks, with new cases of Covid-19 – the disease caused by the coronavirus – mostly involving people arriving from overseas.
04:34
The lockdown in Wuhan is officially lifted, but life is still far from normal
The lockdown in Wuhan is officially lifted, but life is still far from normal
But the virus has continued to disrupt the world, with global infections surpassing 7 million and the death toll reaching 400,000 as of Tuesday.
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The State Department sent a notice to Congress that said that “at this critical juncture in US-China relations, it is critical that our diplomatic posts in China are staffed”, CNN reported.
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