Posted on 10/18/2020 8:34:27 AM PDT by bitt
Beijing is threatening to take Americans in China hostage if the Department of Justice doesn’t drop its prosecution of several Chinese research scientists arrested on U.S. soil this year, according to a report on Saturday.
Chinese government officials have repeatedly warned their U.S. counterparts that Americans in China face being detained if its demands are not met, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The drastic action — dubbed “hostage diplomacy” — would be in retaliation for the arrests of at least five Chinese military-affiliated scholars visiting American universities to conduct research.
The scientists were charged with visa fraud for allegedly lying to U.S. immigration authorities about their active duty statuses with China’s People’s Liberation Army.
The nation first began issuing the warnings over the summer, after Chinese research scientist Juan Tang, who worked at the University of California, Davis, was questioned by the FBI and took up residence for a month in China’s San Francisco consulate.
Chinese officials vowed to retaliate if she wasn’t allowed to leave the consulate and return home, according to the report.
U.S. officials expected China to make good on the threat — but it didn’t, and the FBI arrested Tang in July when she left consulate grounds, the Journal reported.
Tang is currently out on bail after pleading not guilty to visa fraud charges. Her lawyer, Malcolm Segal, denied that China had sought to interfere in his client’s case.
At least four other researchers have been accused of hiding their ties to the Chinese military and pleaded not guilty to similar charges.
The State Department ordered China in July to close its Houston consulate and told all Chinese military researchers remaining in the U.S. to leave.
Sources told the Journal the decision was made after U.S. officials said Chinese diplomats
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Time to inforce SEC accounting rules on CHINA, the same accounting rules we must work by. Translation, cut China off from Wall Street Money!
Should’ve picked our own cotton
Should’ve made our own toys
I’m not sure I give a damn about any “American” still doing business in China.
It’s pretty risky doing business with a totalitarian Communist country. Maybe the profit margin isn’t worth it.
Quick, get the NBA over there ASAP!
Any American in China is responsible for whatever happens to them. Get out now or pay the consequences. Chicoms here need to gtfo as well.
Tactical nuc on 3GD and its all over.
Looks like China will put up free accommodations for them. A match made in heaven!
Maybe we can get the ChiComs to pay the airfare for these airheads or start a Fund Me to buy one way tickets to ChiCom heaven for these losers in life.
It’s a good development and we should welcome it. It will expedite the de-couple. We don’t need anything from China, nothing.
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