China harbouring military-linked fugitive scientist at consulate: FBI

US prosecutors allege Tang Juan, a researcher, lied about being connected to the Chinese military so she could enter the US. According to them, she is now avoiding arrest by taking refuge in the West Coast diplomatic mission.

According to court filings, investigators “discovered photographs of her in the uniform of the Civilian Cadre of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA)”.  According to reports, Tang was interviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), where she denied having any connections with the Chinese Army.  However, following the interview, US authorities claim that she fled to the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco.  

May close more Chinese embassies: Trump

The US does not rule out the possibility of closing more Chinese diplomatic missions in the country, President Donald Trump has said, hours after Washington ordered the closure of Beijing’s consulate in Houston to “protect American intellectual property and private information”. The US move came amid a growing number of disputes between the two countries over Beijing's increasingly aggressive actions that have led Washington to take strong actions, including closing the consulate in Houston, according to senior Trump administration officials.

The consulate in Houston, Texas, is one of five Chinese diplomatic missions in the US, not counting the embassy in Washington DC.

The US move came after the Justice Department said that hackers working with the Chinese government targeted firms developing vaccines for the coronavirus.