Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang at the press conference on Tuesday Photo: Foreign Ministry website

China's Foreign Ministry urged the US on Thursday to withdraw the "erroneous" meeting restrictions against Chinese diplomats and denied that China had similar requirements for US diplomats and consular officers.

Geng Shuang, spokesperson for the ministry, said the US had built up obstacles against Chinese diplomats' normal official activities in the US. China has lodged a solemn representation to the US, Geng noted.

China always supports US diplomats in China so that they can carry out normal activities, Geng said.

The response came after a Reuters report earlier on Thursday said that Chinese diplomats in the US are now required to give advance notice of any plans to meet with US state, local and municipal officials, as well as at educational and research institutions.

US State Department officials said the move was an effort to "add reciprocity" to the way US diplomats are treated in China, Reuters said.

The Chinese Embassy in the US said on Twitter on Thursday that the restrictions "are in violation of the Vienna Convention."

"As for reciprocity, the US has a far greater number of diplomatic personnel in China than China has in the US. In 2018 alone, US diplomats paid more than 160 visits to Chinese universities," the embassy noted.

Echoing the embassy's tweet, Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai commented that "My good friend Ambassador Baucus visited all Chinese provinces during his three-year tenure in China. Ambassador Branstad has a similar plan. I have been here for six and a half years, but I have not been able to set foot in every American state." 

Global Times