The United States has postponed the planned flights of dozens of US diplomats scheduled to return to China later this month because they failed to reach a consensus with China on issues such as the detection and isolation of the new coronavirus. According to Reuters, five months ago, the epidemic forced about 1,300 US diplomats and their families to evacuate from China. According to dozens of internal US State Department emails and people familiar with the matter, Reuters has so far reached no conclusion in negotiations with China on the conditions for these officials to return to China.
By an e-mail dated June 30, U.S. Ambassador to China Blastard (Terry Branstad) told embassy officials that two charter flights scheduled for July 8 and July 10, respectively, to take diplomatic personnel back to Shanghai and Tianjin, had been cancelled and would be rescheduled.
"In such unprecedented circumstances, protecting the health and safety of our groups remains our guiding principle and priority ," Brandt wrote. This means that flight plans will not be confirmed until we reach agreement on these objectives. "
The State Department did not immediately respond to questions about the cancellation of charter flights.
The State Council did not specifically discuss consultations with Beijing in response to a Reuters email, but said "the Embassy and the State Council have contacted Chinese central and local government to ensure that American employees and their families can return to China in a safe and orderly manner. "
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs speaker says they have been communicating closely about the return of U.S. diplomats to China.
"Coronavirus are still spreading overseas, and the pressure on China to prevent and control the import of foreign outbreaks remains considerable ," the speaker said in a fax to Reuters.
"China's measures to prevent and control the outbreak of the epidemic against diplomatic personnel are non-discriminatory. China's efforts to protect hard-won anti-epidemic results will provide a good living environment for everyone working and living in China. "
According to people familiar with the situation, Washington and Beijing have not been able to overcome "major logistical obstacles ", including an e-mail sent to Chinese staff by the State Department on 28 May stating that the two sides had failed to agree on a procedure for testing and isolating diplomats and their families.
Diplomats say the agreement to be tested violates the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic relationship. The state council's internal june 17 guidelines say a plan has been approved, including testing after arrival in accordance with chinese procedures. Sources familiar with the matter said the State Council did not want to compromise on the inviolability of diplomats and was still consulting with Chinese authorities on the issue.
Several diplomats said they feared that Chinese government might get DNA samples and that parents would have to separate from their children if some of their families tested positive.
