US Snubs APEC Macau Meeting Over Visa Curbs on Diplomats, Downgrading Senior Representation
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 25
US Snubs APEC Macau Meeting Over Visa Curbs on Diplomats, Downgrading Senior Representation
2 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 25
Summary
The US will not send senior officials to this week’s APEC Tourism Ministerial Meeting in Macau, marking a diplomatic protest over China’s treatment of American personnel.
The State Department said Beijing maintained “discriminatory” visa rules and rejected a US request to address restrictions that limit diplomats’ ability to provide emergency consular services to Americans in Macau.
Macau, a Chinese special administrative region, is hosting the meeting, but Washington did not specify what level of US representation would attend instead.
The move injects a bilateral dispute into an APEC gathering, with the US framing the issue around access for its diplomats rather than the tourism agenda.