US-China relations: new-look seals for American missions spark online rumours
- Word ‘China’ removed from design of emblems used by US embassy in Beijing and its five consulates in the country
- ‘Redesign being rolled out at US embassies worldwide,’ spokesman says
The United States has dismissed suggestions of political motivations behind a change to the official seals for its overseas missions after the alterations ignited speculation on Chinese social media this week.
The US Department of State released the new designs on its website on Monday. The main change involved the removal of the word “China”, so that the various embassy and consulate seals now feature the US coat of arms and the relevant location, such as Beijing or Chengdu.
Chinese internet users were quick to speculate as to the motivation for the changes.
“What does the change of the seal mean? Does it mean the US wants to play a game of who represents China?” one commenter wrote on Weibo.
Another said the design tweak was evidence the US was planning to set up a formal embassy in Taipei, though failed to provide any evidence to support that idea.
