The move violates international standards and the consular agreements of both countries.
According to the US Embassy in Beijing, State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said the shutdown was “in order to protect American intellectual property and private American information.” According to the Vienna Convention, diplomats have to respect the laws and regulations of the respective host country. They also have a duty “not to interfere in internal affairs of the state”.
The US would not allow its sovereignty to be violated and Americans intimidated – just as China’s unfair trade practices, stealing American jobs and other “outrageous behavior” would not be tolerated, the spokeswoman was quoted as saying. At first she didn’t give any details. China’s foreign office spokesman spoke of a “political provocation”.
The decision exacerbates the tensions between the two largest economies, which are already in dispute over China’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak, trade policy and the tough Chinese crackdown on Hong Kong and Xinjiang. From the Chinese perspective, the relationship is worse than it has been since diplomatic relations were established in 1979. There had been a scramble for diplomats on both sides before.
After the ordered closure, employees of the consulate burned en masse documents, according to US media. China’s foreign office spokesman did not want to confirm the reports in response to questions from journalists, simply saying that the consulate was operating “normally”.Continue a ler »The move violates international standards and the consular agreements of both countries.