News / China

China to give ‘legitimate responses’ if US implements curbs on diplomats

Thursday, 03 September 2020 9:52 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 03 September 2020 9:52 AM ]

Hua Chunying, China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman

China says it will give “legitimate responses” to the United States if Washington proceeds with a plan to impose new restrictions on Chinese diplomats.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the remark at a daily briefing in the capital, Beijing, on Thursday after the United States announced a day earlier that senior Chinese diplomats would be required to receive State Department approval before visiting US university campuses and meeting with local government officials.

Chinese cultural events with more than 50 attendees outside mission grounds would also need US approval.

US State Department imposes restrictions on Chinese diplomats

The US State Department has introduced new restrictions on Chinese diplomats in America.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the restrictions were adopted over what the claimed was Chinese pressure on US diplomats in China and subjecting them to “a system of opaque approval processes.”

“We’re simply demanding reciprocity. Access for our diplomats in China should be reflective of the access that Chinese diplomats in the United States have and today’s steps will move us substantially in that direction,” Pompeo said.

The US and China are at loggerheads over a host of issues, including trade, a new security law introduced in Hong Kong, the origins and handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Taiwan, and the disputed South China Sea.

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