The US Department of State has evacuated more staff from China over fears they might have been hit by a mysterious illness that has struck other colleagues in the country and in Cuba.
The department on Wednesday said that “a number of individuals” were sent to the US for further evaluation following initial medical screenings.
A medical team was sent to Guangzhou after a US employee who had experienced strange sounds was diagnosed with brain trauma last month, reviving fears that a US rival has developed some kind of acoustic or microwave device.
Photo: Reuters
US officials have said that the employee’s symptoms were consistent with the ailments that US diplomats experienced in Cuba last year.
After the first incident in Guangzhou, medical tests were offered to US government employees and family members who requested them, the department said.
“The medical screenings are ongoing for any personnel who have noted concerning symptoms or wanted baseline screening,” department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.
“US medical professionals will continue to conduct full evaluations to determine the cause of the reported symptoms and whether the findings are consistent with those noted in previously affected government personnel or possibly completely unrelated,” the statement said.
Last year, 24 US diplomats and their family members in Cuba fell victim to mysterious “attacks” that left them with injuries resembling brain trauma.
Ten Canadian diplomats and their relatives also suffered a strange illness.
Washington has said that Cuban authorities must take responsibility for the safety of US diplomats on their soil, but Havana denies any knowledge of an attack.
The US has set up a task force to oversee the response to the mystery ailments among diplomats in China and Cuba, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday.
The department has said that US diplomats should alert their mission’s medical staff “if they note new onset of symptoms that may have begun in association with experiencing unidentified auditory sensations.”
“Reported symptoms have included dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, fatigue, cognitive issues, visual problems, ear complaints and hearing loss, and difficulty sleeping,” the statement said.
The cases came at a sensitive time in relations between the US and China, with the two nations mired in negotiations aimed at preventing a trade war and exchanging heated rhetoric over Beijing’s claims to the South China Sea.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that its investigation into the first case has not yielded any clues as to the cause of the incident.
“As for the latest incident, my understanding is that the US side hasn’t had any formal communication with the Chinese side about it,” ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying (華春瑩) said at a regular news briefing.
Beijing learned about the latest cases through a report in the New York Times, she said.
“I think that if there is any problem, the US can communicate with the Chinese side, and China will continue to adopt a responsible attitude and conduct a serious investigation,” Hua said.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese