No clue on US envoys’ illness, China says
Americans evacuated for screenings after falling ill in Guangzhou
The Chinese government still has no idea why a US diplomat fell ill at the consulate in Guangzhou after hearing mysterious sounds, despite completing its investigation yesterday.
On Wednesday, the State Department said it was evacuating several more Americans from Guangzhou for further health screenings.
That follows the initial evacuation of a government employee, who had reported hearing strange noises in his apartment and exhibiting symptoms of brain injury.
Yesterday, China’s Foreign Ministry said it had looked into the case after being told about the first incident.
“China and relevant authorities conducted an investigation and gave feedback to the United States,” spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news conference. “We haven’t found the cause or clues that would lead to the situation mentioned by the United States.”
Hua said the Foreign Ministry had not yet been formally informed by the US government about the new cases, having only heard about them through media reports.
Responsible attitude
“If the United States communicates with us, we will adopt a responsible attitude to investigate this,” she said. “We will maintain communication with the United States on this.”
Last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Congress the case in Guangzhou was medically very similar to the ones seen in Cuba last year, when a large part of the embassy staff was withdrawn after complaining of symptoms that included hearing loss, dizziness, tinnitus, visual difficulties, headaches and fatigue.