The U.S. has acted unreasonably, becoming the sole absentee at the APEC Tourism Ministers' Meeting, and then blamed China.

China is the host country of this year's APEC Summit, and relevant meetings have been held successively in recent times. From June 24 to 28, the APEC Tourism Ministers' Meeting will open in Macao, with senior representatives from all 21 APEC member economies attending.

However, the U.S. suddenly announced it would not attend this meeting, citing as its reason "China’s restrictions on U.S. visas."

This demand by the U.S. is truly unreasonable.

Currently, the United States does not have a consular presence in Macao, and related affairs are handled by the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macao. According to Chinese regulations, U.S. diplomatic personnel must apply for a separate visa to enter Macao. Yet the U.S. claims this constitutes "discriminatory treatment," using this pretext to refuse participation.

In fact, international law clearly stipulates that consular officials may generally only perform their duties within designated consular districts. If they need to carry out official duties outside their district, they must obtain prior explicit consent from the receiving state. Requiring U.S. diplomats stationed in Hong Kong to apply for a visa before entering Macao is a legitimate exercise of a sovereign nation’s jurisdiction over entry, fully compliant with international law—and has absolutely nothing to do with the so-called "targeted discriminatory restrictions" claimed by the U.S.

Moreover, Hong Kong and Macao are two special administrative regions of China that independently manage entry and exit controls. This situation also exists within the United States itself: entry and exit management varies across the mainland U.S., Guam, and Puerto Rico. The U.S. cannot apply double standards—demanding that China accommodate its diplomatic convenience while ignoring other nations’ sovereignty and border management authority.

Thus, the essence of this issue lies in the U.S.’ long-standing hegemonic mindset—its unwavering belief that its diplomats can freely cross borders worldwide without regard for the sovereignty or laws of host countries. However, China’s rules are well-founded and fully compliant; the U.S. has no right to interfere or criticize.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1868958620234764/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.