Daily Archives: July 24, 2020

Nominee For Peru Ambassadorship Lisa Kenna Gets a Late Thunderbolt

July 24, 2020 By in FSOs, Hearings, Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State, SFRC, State Department, Top Ranks, Trends, WHA|Western Hemisphere Tags: , , , , , ,

 

Via Politico:
Lisa Kenna, Pompeo’s executive secretary — a gatekeeper of sorts to his office — told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that she was unaware of the substance of Giuliani’s outreach at the time, but now knows it was an effort to discredit Yovanovitch. Giuliani made calls and delivered documents to Pompeo that came from Ukrainian figures viewed as corrupt by the State Department.
“At the time, I did not know what the documents were about. It’s deeply disturbing,” said Kenna, who is being vetted by the committee for the ambassadorship to Peru.
Ms. Kenna’s prepared testimony for the SFRC is available to read here.

Mike Defends Susan With Quip From ‘The American President’

July 24, 2020 By in Mike Pompeo, Pompeo, Secretary of State, Spouses, State Department, Trends Tags: , ,

 

WHO’s Dr. Tedros Responds to Pompeo’s Reported Claim to UK MPs

July 24, 2020 By in Coronavirus, Foreign Affairs, international organizations, Mike Pompeo, Politics, Pompeo, Reputation, Secretary of State, State Department, Trends Tags: , , , ,
Notable via Reuters:
“Infections in the United States have rapidly accelerated since the first COVID-19 case was detected on Jan. 21. It took the country 98 days to reach 1 million cases. It took another 43 days to reach 2 million and then 27 days to reach 3 million.”

 

China Orders US Consulate Chengdu Closed in Response to Chinese Consulate Houston Closure

July 24, 2020 By in Consulate General, Diplomatic Life, EAP|East Asia, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Service, Hotspots, Mike Pompeo, Pompeo, Realities of the FS, State Department, Trends, U.S. Missions Tags: , , , ,

 

On July 23, 2020, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that it has informed the United States that it withdrew “its consent for the establishment and operation of the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu.” The announcement only says that “The Ministry also made specific requirements on the ceasing of all operations and events by the Consulate General” but did not indicate a time window. Reports on the ordered closure of the Chinese Consulate in Houston notes that the US asked that the consulate stop events and move employees out by Friday, July 24. (see China Says US Ordered Closure of Its Houston Consulate By July 24).
Update 1:25 am PDT: WSJ is reporting that China is giving the U.S. 72 hours to close the Chengdu consulate. American diplomats in Chengdu have 30 days to leave China.
The US Consulate General Chengdu’s consular district is made up of the Provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou, as well as the Tibet Autonomous Region and Chongqing City Municipality.
Via US Mission China:

Photo from US Mission China website

The U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu was established in 1985 and was originally located on the first floor of the west wing of the Jinjiang Hotel.  The Consulate started with only six American officers and approximately 20 local employees.  It was made up of an Executive Office (a Consul General and administrative assistant); a small office handling political, economic and commercial issues; a Consular Section; a Management Section and what was then known as the U.S. Information Service.

In 1985, each of the offices was covered by one American officer. The Consulate today has grown tremendously by comparison, with almost 200 total staff. Approximately 150 of these are locally hired professional Chinese staff who are the heart of our daily operations and many of whom have served for many years.