Washington, October 18 (RHC)-- The U.S. has ordered Chinese diplomats to inform the State Department before holding any meetings with federal and local American officials, describing the restrictions as a “reciprocal” move.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior U.S. State Department official told reporters that Chinese diplomats in the United States now had to give advance notice of any meetings with state, local and municipal officials, as well as visits to educational and research institutions.

The official said the measure came in response to restrictions American diplomats faced when trying to meet Chinese officials and academics.   The State Department said the directive applied to officials working at “all Chinese Missions in the United States and its territories, including at the United Nations.”

In a statement posted on Twitter, China’s Embassy in Washington denied that Beijing was implementing similar restriction on U.S. diplomats.  “So far, the Chinese side does not have similar requirements on American diplomats and consular officers in China.  As for reciprocity, the U.S. has a far greater number of diplomatic personnel in China than China has in the United States.”

For more than a year, Washington and Beijing have been engaged in a trade war over issues such as cyber security, regulations, intellectual property, subsidies and tariffs.  The State Department official, however, said the new ruling was “not directly linked” to the trade war with China.