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[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] Chinese state media reported that the U.S. Department of State is reviewing approval for the withdrawal of staff from the U.S. Embassy in China.

Photo by Global Times capture

The Global Times reported on the 26th that the U.S. Department of State is reviewing approval for the departure of U.S. personnel stationed in China, citing the epidemic situation in China as the reason. Citing sources, the media claimed that the U.S. Department of State is planning the withdrawal by granting staff the option to leave China at any time if they wish. It also noted that during the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, the U.S. Department of State temporarily closed the U.S. Consulate General in Wuhan, Hubei Province, and withdrew its staff.

The Global Times condemned the U.S. plan to withdraw staff from the U.S. Embassy in China as a political ploy to disrupt the Beijing Winter Olympics. The media harshly criticized the U.S. Department of State’s plan to approve the withdrawal of staff as a political trick to maximize anxiety about the COVID-19 virus. It added that it was a message to the international community that the U.S. could withdraw from China at any time.

The media further emphasized that China is the safest country in the world from COVID-19 due to scientific and accurate preventive measures. In contrast, it pointed out that the U.S. has 72 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and over 890,000 deaths. It also added that currently 790,000 people are diagnosed daily.

The Global Times claimed that the U.S. government brought up the plan to withdraw State Department staff from China nine days before the opening of the Olympics to stir unrest after declaring a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, said, "The U.S. does not want China to successfully host the Winter Olympics," adding, "What the U.S. wants is chaos in China." He also said, "There will be more U.S. interference and provocations until February 20, when the Winter Olympics end," emphasizing that the U.S. attempt to politicize sports and use the COVID-19 card to pressure China will fail.

The Global Times also claimed that the U.S. is further straining China-Russia (Ukraine) relations to shift its domestic problems externally.

Lu Xiang, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, explained, "The review of withdrawal approval is intended to instill the image in the international community that U.S. Embassy staff can leave at any time due to the severe situation in China." He added, "If chaos occurs outside the U.S., international capital can flow back to the U.S. as the government desires." This is an assertion that the U.S. government is deliberately fomenting international turmoil for economic reasons.

The Global Times pointed out that the U.S. might provoke further tensions in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, and stated that China must keep all possibilities open and prepare accordingly.