The suggestion by U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo that China's consulate in New York serves as spy hub for Beijing stoked outrage in an editorial by the Global Times newspaper. The editorial, posted Saturday by the Communist Party-linked news outlet, said Beijing would retaliate against American diplomats if its envoys were ejected or arrested after comments the top U.S. diplomat gave to the New York Post this week, which it termed a "crude accusation."
"The U.S. is stirring up trouble, and is likely paving the way for more actions against Chinese diplomats and institutions in the U.S.," the editorial said. The Global Times is a tabloid run by the People's Daily, flagship newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party.
Pompeo's interview with the Post followed the recent arrest of a New York City police officer on charges related to claims that he was spying on ethnic Tibetans living in the city on China's behalf.
"They're engaged in activities where they're crossing the line from normal diplomacy to the kinds of things that would be more akin to what spies are doing," Pompeo said of the China's envoys in New York. He indicated that some of the consulate's personnel may face arrest for those activities.
The Global Times termed "groundless" allegations that Chinese diplomats have engaged in "vicious intelligence gathering."
