In a bombshell announcement, US officials disclosed that they have taken into custody a Chinese scientist that was hiding in the Chinese consulate in San Francisco.
Moreover, the US government claims that China has conducted espionage operations through its diplomatic outposts.
CNN reports that the alleged fugitive who was placed under custody is Tang Juan. Although she claimed that she was studying biology, the US government had been keeping an eye out on her for Visa frauds and consequently has been charged in the courts of Sacramento.
The announcement comes as the time limit that the US government has set for the Chinese consulate in Houston comes to an end. China has reciprocated the move by ordering American delegates in the Chengdu Consulate to evacuate and vacate the post.
Prosecutors put forth the case that Tang purposely concealed her military links while applying for a visa in the US. Investigators are said to have found photographs of Tang working for the civilian wing of the Chinese Army as well as participating in military researches.
In their court files, the prosecutors write that Tang denied her relationship with the Chinese army when she was interviewed by the FBI over her suspicious backgrounds. Tang reportedly argued that she was in uniform because her university was a military academy.
Officials also revealed why the government ordered for the closedown of the Chinese consulate in Houston. They claimed that the consulate staff involved themselves with directing researchers what information they should collect.
The Department of Justice official said that they believe the activities of the Houston consulate are not an isolated incident but evidence of a wider and deeper web of espionage; the 25 cities in which there are consulates likely formed a network across the US.
The announcement comes just a day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo characterized the US – China relationship as that of animosity. Pompeo said that the US has the mission of securing American freedom from the Chinese Communist Party.
He also directly mentioned Chinese President Xi Jinping, stating the 21st century should not become one that Xi is dreaming of but rather a century of freedom. Many observers remarked on the Cold War-like portrayal of the relationship between the two nations.
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Replaced!