Beijing to impose restrictions on all US diplomats in China

Beijing will impose  reciprocal restrictions on all American diplomats on Chinese soil in response to curbs on its embassy personnel in the United States_ China s foreign ministry said Friday. Relations between the world s top two economies have deteriorated in recent months_ with both sides locked in fierce recriminations over trade disputes_ human rights and the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. China s latest move comes days after Washington announced new restrictions on staff working for Beijing s foreign missions_ such as a requirement to seek approval for university visits or meetings with local officials.  The Chinese side has recently sent a diplomatic note announcing reciprocal restrictions on the US embassy and consulates_ the ministry said in a statement. It added that the unspecified countermeasures will apply to all US embassy and consulate staff_ including the consulate-general in Hong Kong and its personnel.  It must be stressed that these measures are China s legitimate and necessary response to the erroneous US moves_ the ministry said_ urging the US to  immediately correct its mistakes and lift the earlier curbs. A tit-for-tat dispute over foreign missions flared up in July when Washington ordered the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston_ prompting Beijing to shutter the American presence in Chengdu. The battle over foreign embassies is only one front in an escalating confrontation between the US and China. Washington has imposed sanctions on officials accused of helping orchestrate China s mass internment of Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities in Xinjiang province_ a programme that has prompted a global human rights outcry. President Donald Trump has also provoked a furious reaction from Chinese officials by blaming Beijing for the global spread of the coronavirus_ saying authorities there failed to contain the pandemic in its early stages. And Washington has also accused Chinese tech firms and platforms  from Huawei to TikTok  of working in the interests of the Chinese Communist Party. -Source: NewAge