Pompeo Imposes New Limits on Chinese Diplomats as Tensions Rise

(Bloomberg) -- Chinese diplomats in the U.S. face new limits on travel and meetings in the U.S., Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said, as the Trump administration moves to match Communist Party restrictions on American diplomats and impose costs for what it calls unfair treatment.

Under the new rules, senior Chinese diplomats must get approval to visit university campuses or meet with local officials, the State Department said in a statement Wednesday. Also, any Chinese-hosted cultural events outside of consular posts will need approval if the audience is larger than 50 people. And the State Department will require that diplomatic social media accounts are identified as government-controlled.

“We’re simply demanding reciprocity,” Pompeo told reporters, indicating that the U.S. restrictions would be lifted if China removes its requirements. “Access for our diplomats in China should be reflective of the access that Chinese diplomats in the United States have.”

It’s only the latest in a series of aggressive actions -- from economic sanctions to trade limits to diplomatic condemnation -- that the Trump administration has imposed on the grounds that it’s pushing back against Chinese aggression and restoring balance in relations between the world’s two biggest economies. Pompeo contends that China is waging a full-scale campaign of spying and intellectual property theft in the U.S.

“Now it went further and requested approval in advance, to further restrict Chinese diplomats non-official and social contacts with U.S. local officials, these requirements are totally contrary to international law, basic norms of international relations and consular convention. They are illegal, illegitimate and unreasonable. It shows the anti-China forces have lost their rationality and self-confidence and are suffering from paranoia against China.”

China’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday vowed to take a “legitimate and necessary response” depending on the developing situation, without providing any specifics.

The U.S.’s new requirements “are totally contrary to international law, the basic norms of international relations and consular convention,” ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing. “They are illegal, illegitimate and unreasonable. It shows that the anti-China forces have lost their rationality and self-confidence and are suffering from paranoia against China.”

‘Out of Balance’

For years, American diplomats in China have been severely limited in whom they can meet and where they can travel. The restrictions on university visits also reflects a broader concern in the administration that Chinese students and diplomats use those contacts to steal American technology and research.

The administration also has begun limiting the number of journalists Chinese media can employ in the U.S., a response that officials argue was compelled by China’s decision to expel American reporters from the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and other outlets. Only a handful of American reporters are now living in China, while dozens of Chinese journalists remain in the U.S.

The U.S.-China relationship is “clearly way out of balance,” Assistant Secretary of State David Stilwell told reporters at the same briefing. “We’re taking steps to fix that.”

Other topics at Pompeo’s news conference:

CRIMINAL COURT: Pompeo said the U.S. is imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and another official of the organization over their refusal to stop investigating Americans on allegations of war crimes in Afghanistan.

BELARUS CRACKDOWN: He condemned the Belarus government’s crackdown on protesters demonstrating recent elections that gave longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko another term, saying the country’s people should be allowed to choose their leaders through free and fair elections. He demanded the release of protesters and said the U.S. was weighing sanctions against rights abusers.

GOP SPEECH: Pompeo defended his decision to deliver a recorded speech from Jerusalem at the Republican National Convention last week against criticism that it violated his own guidelines against State Department employees taking part in political activity. State Department lawyers cleared the appearance, according to Pompeo, who said he felt it was important for people to “hear what the administration has accomplished.”

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