China is now denying a report that it forced U.S. diplomats to undergo anal swab Covid-19 tests on personnel stationed inside the country:
Now China has denied that it *required* US personnel *stationed in China* to take the test. Updating our story.
— Alan Wong (@alanwongw) February 25, 2021
Earlier they had said the diplomats were given the tests in error:
NEW: China told the US that the anal COVID-19 testing given to American diplomats was "an error" and will exempt them from the practice after Washington complained @VICEWorldNews @violazhouyi https://t.co/pHlCFF1YDv
— Alan Wong (@alanwongw) February 25, 2021
So, they’re arguing the anal tests were voluntary?
An easy mistake to make https://t.co/xAEhuqC9gh
— Adam Taylor (@mradamtaylor) February 25, 2021
Apparently, there’s been some negotiating over the tests for “a while”:
US officials have asked China to not subject staff to Covid-19 anal swab tests to their diplomats. A US diplomatic source tells @David_Culver US representatives in China have been “negotiating with the Chinese for a while” to avoid their staff being subjected to such tests.
— Kylie Atwood (@kylieatwood) February 25, 2021
You just can’t make this up:
“The State Department never agreed to this kind of testing and protested directly to the MFA when we learned that some staff were subject to it," said a @StateDept spokesperson of the COVID-19 anal swab tests.
— Kylie Atwood (@kylieatwood) February 25, 2021
Score one for China:
If you wanted to soften people psychologically, this would be a great way to do it. https://t.co/2Ii1CIDCLu
— Geoffrey Ingersoll (@GPIngersoll) February 25, 2021
***
