Chinese Diplomat accosted by Houston TX police

In San Francisco, the consulate takes up a very a large portion of the block. It's not gated but you do see security measures. Reading people's comments attached to articles on it are interesting. It looks like half of Americans believe the officers had the right to enter the consulate grounds and treat the diplomat the way they did. Back during the Olympics several large protests happened at the consulate. Someone threw a fire bomb in the middle of the night and another two people illegally entered onto consulate grounds. Would it been all right for consulate security to injure them? Just imagine if consulate security went after them off consulate grounds and injured them in the process. One of them fell off the building from her own ineptness and she tried to blame it somehow on China. I also see commentators think Americans obey the law in other countries. Is that their own laws applied to them when they travel into other countries? Because China for one experiences activists who violate the law and they get off on charges much more easily than a citizen. Since they say they obey the law, shouldn't they get a little reeducation in a Chinese gulag? And in other countries there are cases I know of that doesn't get media attention of Americans commiting crimes (some serious). Really if they respect other countries' laws, then I guess they wouldn't mind their loved ones being executed for drug possession then. Or how about another notorious crime they commit... stealing or illegalling transporting ancient artifacts in which many countries is a crime punishable by death? It's amazing how many cases I read about of Western authorities having to return to China some ancient antiquity stolen by one of their citizens.

In Singapore, I do not know if there was a consulate or not, because the country is so small and we already have an embassy, somewhere in our prime area

However back to the topic... what is the outcome, I read that the polices involved had been suspended duties by the Housten Police Department... but what of the Chinese Diplomate? Obviously he did break some laws... it really wouldn't be fair for him to go untouched (not physically) after breaking some US or any host country's laws.

Would the US government launch a former complaint to the China on this issue?

rhino123 said:

In Singapore, I do not know if there was a consulate or not, because the country is so small and we already have an embassy, somewhere in our prime area

However back to the topic... what is the outcome, I read that the polices involved had been suspended duties by the Housten Police Department... but what of the Chinese Diplomate? Obviously he did break some laws... it really wouldn't be fair for him to go untouched (not physically) after breaking some US or any host country's laws.

Would the US government launch a former complaint to the China on this issue?

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You're asking if the US government would launch a formal complaint to China for driving without a rear plate license?

solarz said:

You're asking if the US government would launch a formal complaint to China for driving without a rear plate license?

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Yeah. I know it sounded kind of small... but I believe that the diplomat must also abide to the law of the host country, although they have immunity it does not mean they could actually go around without any regards to other people's laws.

Thus even in this case, I think the US government should also launch a complaint to the Chinese government and see what the chinese counterpart would do about it.

The US is not going to file a complaint because this is just like the debate over Geneva Convention rights for insurgeants in Iraq. If the US starts complaining about that then expect diplomats overseas to be harassed and beaten over traffic violations or worse. The US media already defends protecting the children of diplomats in China that smuggle drugs through diplomatic channels. The diplomats cry "racism" when their children are arrested in nightclubs caught selling drugs and the US media jumps on it defending criminals. They're already walking a slippery slope. It's the US that better beware if they want to push it. Plenty of Westerners commit crimes that I'm sure they don't think anything of it. Like I've heard of people chipping chunks off the Great Wall as souvenirs. If they repsect the laws of foreign countries then why did Great Britain run to the defense of their criminal that was executed in China for smuggling drugs? If they show so much respect for the laws of other countries, then accept the death penalty for the crime. But they don't.

Don't you find it sad in this case. The consulate or embassy in a foreign country is suppose to be a place where help can be rendered to that guest country's citizens in the host country. And the diplomats working in these consulate and embassies are suppose to be representing the guest country.

But in the end, it kind of like a safehouse for criminals... who held no regards for the host country's laws and could break them as they like due to immunity to these laws... didn't it kind of remind you of the colonial era?

Sorry for the harsh words used here... but it really piss me off seeing all these stuff... and the Romanian Diplomat issues in my country is also rubbing it in (not that I have any issues with the Romanians as a whole.)

rhino123 said:

Don't you find it sad in this case. The consulate or embassy in a foreign country is suppose to be a place where help can be rendered to that guest country's citizens in the host country. And the diplomats working in these consulate and embassies are suppose to be representing the guest country.

But in the end, it kind of like a safehouse for criminals... who held no regards for the host country's laws and could break them as they like due to immunity to these laws... didn't it kind of remind you of the colonial era?

Sorry for the harsh words used here... but it really piss me off seeing all these stuff... and the Romanian Diplomat issues in my country is also rubbing it in (not that I have any issues with the Romanians as a whole.)

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Well, keep in mind that we haven't heard the diplomat's side of the story much. All the news have been reporting the HPD's version of the events. In one article I read, it mentioned that the diplomat did pull over and waited for a while, but the police didn't do anything, so maybe he thought that it was a mistake and drove off.

rhino123 said:

Don't you find it sad in this case. The consulate or embassy in a foreign country is suppose to be a place where help can be rendered to that guest country's citizens in the host country. And the diplomats working in these consulate and embassies are suppose to be representing the guest country.

But in the end, it kind of like a safehouse for criminals... who held no regards for the host country's laws and could break them as they like due to immunity to these laws... didn't it kind of remind you of the colonial era?

Sorry for the harsh words used here... but it really piss me off seeing all these stuff... and the Romanian Diplomat issues in my country is also rubbing it in (not that I have any issues with the Romanians as a whole.)

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I think Rhino's point is that everyone should be equal before the law. In this case, I will agree. Diplomat or non-diplomat, one should behave responsibly. It does make me wonder why the Chinese diplomat, who should be a capable administrator, will react like this.
Something simply doesn't add up. Also, how the story cut short at the diplomat didn't stop for the cops without further details. Perhaps it's something omitted in the papers again.

ravenshield936 said:

I think Rhino's point is that everyone should be equal before the law. In this case, I will agree. Diplomat or non-diplomat, one should behave responsibly. It does make me wonder why the Chinese diplomat, who should be capable administrator, will react like this.
Something simply doesn't add up. Also, how the story cut short at the diplomat didn't stop for the cops without further details. Perhaps it's something omitted in the papers again.

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Exactly. No one should be above the law of any nations be him/her a foreign tourists or a diplomat. All should be the same, and if he/she break the law of that country that they are guest to, they have to pay the same price as that country's own citizens.

Although in this case, we have not heard the full story as of yet... and I don't think we ever well... because Diplomat cannot be tried... and so there is no way we will ever know what actually happen. Which is kind of bullshit.

solarz said:

LOL!

Here in Toronto, the Chinese consulate only has one guard, and he's not chinese either. However, he is pretty helpful.

The Canadian consulate in Shanghai also employs all Chinese staff. I don't think I've seen a single foreigner in that building full of consulates.

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Then how are they going to conduct espionage? Or, do they, like in cold war novels and movies?