China will carry out retaliatory actions on all American envoys in the country in reaction to restraints on its consular staff in the U.S., a Chinese official disclosed on Friday.
Beijing said its foreign ministry recently sent the U.S. embassy a diplomatic note declaring what it calls "reciprocal restrictions" on the U.S. consulate in the mainland's capital as well as American embassies in other parts of China, including one in Hong Kong, Express reported.
Ties between the world's economic superpowers have soured in the past months, with both countries at loggerheads in trade, the ongoing global health crisis, human rights, and other sensitive matters.
In June this year, Washington ordered Beijing to shut down its embassy in Houston, Texas. Beijing retaliated and forced the U.S. to close is embassy in Chengdu.
Last month, the U.S. government blacklisted officials it alleged were subduing freedom and democratic processes in Hong Kong after Beijing implemented strict national security legislation designed to clamp down on civil unrest in the bustling financial center.
China and the U.S. have also ramped up the presence of their armed forces in the South China Sea, triggering a paranoia of miscalculations that would lead to a third world war. U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo called on other countries in the hotly-contested area to oppose China's aggressive stance in the region.
Beijing's latest pressure against U.S. officials in its home soil applies to senior envoys and other personnel at the U.S. missions, Chinese officials who did not elaborate on the restrictions, said.
The move also comes days after the Trump administration bared new prohibitions on personnel working for China's foreign missions, like the requirement for a permit to hold cultural events, visit universities or attend meetings with local officials.
As this developed, U.S. State Department Economic Growth Undersecretary Keith Krach alerted officers of American universities about the reciprocal threats being made by Beijing.
Beijing asserted that its latest measures are legitimate and a necessary response to the "erroneous moves by the U.S.," and urged Washington to correct its mistakes as soon as possible and lift its earlier prohibitions, The Wall Street Journal reported.
It is not clear how Beijing's latest restrictions may impact the American ambassadors, who are already facing a host of bureaucratic issues while working in the mainland. The U.S. consular office in Beijing did not immediately respond when requested for a comment.
