BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th December, 2019) Beijing has lodged a representation to Washington to express its protest against the expulsion of two Chinese embassy officials from the United States, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang said at a briefing on Monday.
On Sunday, the United States expelled two Chinese diplomats for allegedly driving unannounced into a sensitive military base near Norfolk in the US state of Virginia back in September. According to The New York Times newspaper, the two were expelled without drawing any attention to what the US sees as an act of espionage under diplomatic cover.
"The respective accusations made by the American side are absolutely false; we expressed protest and lodged a representation to the United States. We call upon the US to correct this error and revoke the decision, protect the rights and legitimate interests of Chinese diplomats provided for in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," the spokesman said.
This is the first instance of the United States expelling Chinese nationals under diplomatic protection since 1987. �
According to The New York Times, the September incident caused the US to introduce a new requirement that Chinese diplomats working in the United States must notify the State Department in advance about any official visits to universities or research institutes, as well as meetings with officials. Earlier in the month, Beijing imposed retaliatory restrictions on the freedoms enjoyed by US diplomats working in China.�
