The U.S. State Department has imposed a new set of restrictions on Chinese diplomats working in the United States.
Under the new rules, which were announced Wednesday by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, senior Chinese diplomats must get prior approval to visit college campuses or meet with local government officials, and to host any cultural events outside of the Chinese Embassy or consular posts if the audience is larger than 50 people.
Pompeo also said the administration will require the Chinese government to properly identify all government-run social media accounts.
Pompeo said the imposition of similar rules on American diplomats working in China was the reason for the restrictions on Chinese diplomats in the United States.
“We’re simply demanding reciprocity,” he said.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington issued a statement calling the move “yet another unjustified restriction and barrier” on their diplomatic and consular personnel.
The new restrictions on Chinese diplomats in the United States is the latest sign of worsening relations between the world’s two largest economies. The two sides have clashed over numerous issues, including trade, technology, the new national security law imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong, and China’s increasingly aggressive behavior toward Taiwan.
