Rome, 20 Feb (LaPresse) – The United States is ready to reduce the size of its diplomatic mission in China by 10%. This was reported by the South China Morning Post citing informed sources. Two sources familiar with the matter said the cuts would affect the embassy in Beijing and the consulates in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang and Wuhan, as well as the consulate in Hong Kong. It is unclear whether any of those affected will be reassigned to other positions in the diplomatic service, but redundancies are planned. Describing the downsizing as ‘substantial’, one source said it was probably the first major cutback of the US diplomatic team in China since the establishment of formal diplomatic relations with the People's Republic in 1979.A second source said the State Department's order to downsize came last week, adding that affected employees could be contacted by the end of the week to be informed about the details of their severance and last day of work.
© Copyright LaPresse
