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A Chinese scientist suspected of visa fraud and concealing ties to the military has fled to the Chinese consulate in San Francisco, the United States says.
Prosecutors allege that the case is part of a Chinese program to send undercover army scientists to the United States.
On Wednesday, the Trump administration ordered the closure of China’s China mission in Houston, saying it was involved in the theft of intellectual property.
China condemned movements against its scientists and consulates in the United States.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin accused the administration of using excuses to limit, harass, or crack down on Chinese academics in the country.
Following the dispute over the Houston consulate, President Donald Trump threatened to shut down more Chinese missions.
In recent months, he has repeatedly clashed with Beijing over trade, the coronavirus pandemic, and China’s imposition of a controversial new security law in Hong Kong.
What are the allegations about the San Francisco mission?
Documents filed by prosecutors in federal court in San Francisco say the defendant, named Juan Tang, was a biology researcher at the University of California, Davis.
According to the presentations, during an interview with FBI agents last month, he said he had not served in the Chinese military.
However, according to the document, an open source investigation uncovered photos of her wearing a military uniform, and a search of her home found more evidence of her affiliation with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (EPL).
“At some point after Tang’s search and interview on June 20, 2020, Tang went to the Chinese consulate in San Francisco, where the FBI is evaluating that she has stayed,” the filing reads, first reported by the Axios news site.
He adds: “As the Tang case demonstrates, the Chinese consulate in San Francisco provides a potential safe harbor for an official EPL intention to avoid prosecution in the United States.”
Prosecutors say this is not an isolated case but “appears to be part of a program carried out by the EPL” to send military scientists to the United States with false pretenses.
The document also highlights the cases of two other investigators arrested in California in recent weeks for lying about their alleged ties to the military.
What is happening at the Chinese consulates?
The Houston consulate came under scrutiny on Tuesday when people looking into the building’s courtyard noticed several burning containers.
The images showed people throwing what appeared to be paper into the containers.
Emergency services were called to the building, but Houston police say they were not granted access.
On Wednesday, the administration gave China 72 hours to close the consulate “to protect American intellectual property and Americans’ private information.”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: “We are setting clear expectations about how the Chinese Communist Party will behave. And when they don’t, we will take steps that protect the American people, protect … our national security, and also protect our economy and jobs. “
The consulate is one of five in the United States, not counting the embassy in Washington. China described the shutdown as a “political provocation”.
What is fueling tensions between China and the United States?
There are a number of flash points between Beijing and Washington today. Some of the most serious are:
- Coronavirus: President Trump has repeatedly referred to Covid-19, whose first cases were reported in Wuhan in late 2019, as the “China virus.” It also alleged that it originated in a Chinese laboratory, despite the fact that its own intelligence officers said that “it was not man-made or genetically modified.” In response, Chinese officials have suggested, without evidence, that Covid-19 may have originated in the U.S.
- Commerce: Trump has always accused China of unfair trade practices and theft of intellectual property, but in Beijing there is a perception that the United States is trying to curb its rise as a world economic power. The United States and China have engaged in an eye-for-an-eye tariff war since 2018 as a result of the dispute
- Hong Kong: China’s imposition of a new national security law in Hong Kong in June prompted the United States to revoke the region’s preferential economic treatment. Trump has also signed a law to impose sanctions on officials who cracked down on rights. Beijing has accused the United States of “serious interference” in its internal affairs, promising that it will retaliate.
