BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th September, 2020) US diplomats will need to secure a permission from the Chinese Foreign Ministry if they want to meet with Hong Kong government officials and education workers in China's apparent tit-for-tat for a similar move taken earlier by the US, South China Morning Post reported on Monday.
Earlier in September, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced new restrictions, under which Chinese diplomats would have to ask the Department of State for approval before visiting US universities and meeting with local officials, and holding cultural events with an audience of more than 50 people. In response, China imposed restrictions on the work of US diplomats in China, including employees of the US Consulate General in Hong Kong.
According to the media outlet, the new measures are also likely to apply to meetings of US diplomatic mission employees with representatives of political parties. It is noted that the leader of the Liberal Party of Hong Kong, Felix Chung Kwok-pan, was told two weeks ago by the central authorities that his plans to meet with the US consul general were untimely.
Over the past several years, US-China relations have significantly deteriorated, with Washington accusing Beijing of unfair economic practices, human rights violations and lack of transparency with regard to the COVID-19 outbreak. China has denied the accusations and, in its turn, pointed to various violations of international law on the part of the US.
