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US makes Chinese diplomats say where they're going | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Chinese diplomats in the US will have to notify American authorities before holding any meetings with US officials. | Chinese diplomats in the US will have to notify American authorities before holding any meetings with US officials. |
Official visits to "educational and research institutions", such as schools and universities, must also be pre-registered, the state department said. | |
China said the US was breaking international rules - but the US said American diplomats in China faced similar restrictions. | |
The move comes amid heightened tensions between both countries. | The move comes amid heightened tensions between both countries. |
What did the US say? | |
The rules would apply to "official meetings with [US] state officials, official meetings with local and municipal officials, official visits to educational institutions, and official visits to research institutions", the state department said. | |
An official said the US was merely "levelling the playing field" with China, and that it was a response to Chinese restrictions on American diplomats. | |
"In China, US diplomats do not have unfettered access to a range of folks that are important for us to do our job here. | "In China, US diplomats do not have unfettered access to a range of folks that are important for us to do our job here. |
"In contrast, [Chinese] diplomats in the US are of course, able to take full advantage of our open society," said a senior state department official. | |
US officials said Chinese diplomats did not need permission for the meetings, but were required to notify the state department in advance. | |
The eventual goal, said the official, would be for "these requirements and the requirements on US diplomats in China [to] both be disbanded." | |
How did China respond? | |
In a statement on Thursday, the Chinese Embassy in US called the new rules a "violation of the Vienna Convention". | |
"The Chinese side does not have similar requirements on American diplomats and consular officers in China," it insisted. | |
It added: "As for reciprocity, the US has a far greater number of diplomatic personnel in China than China has in the US." | |
What is the Vienna Convention? | |
The Vienna Convention is an agreement that outlines the rules of diplomatic relations. | |
Under this convention, diplomats are "ensured" freedom of movement and travel in their host countries. | |
The convention also says the receiving state "shall not discriminate as between states". | |
What is the background to this? | |
The two countries have been fighting a trade war, imposing tariffs on billions' worth of each other's goods over the past year. | |
However, the state department official said the new ruling was "not directly linked" to the trade war with China. | |
US President Donald Trump has long accused China of unfair trading practices and intellectual property theft. While in China, there is a perception that the US is trying to curb its rise. |