The United States said on Wednesday it would require senior Chinese diplomats to get State Department approval before visiting U.S. university campuses or holding cultural events with more than 50 people outside mission grounds.
Washington cast the move as a response to Beijing’s restrictions on American diplomats in China. It comes as part of a Trump administration campaign against alleged Chinese influence operations and espionage.
The State Department said it would also take action to help ensure all Chinese embassy and consular social media accounts were “properly identified.”
“We’re simply demanding reciprocity,” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a news briefing. “Access for our diplomats in China should be reflective of the access that Chinese diplomats in the United States have, and today’s steps will move us substantially in that direction.”