The US State Department has warned its personnel stationed in China of the danger of using sonic weapons "unusual acute auditory or sensory phenomena accompanied by unusual sounds or piercing noises". The warning, issued on May 23, led to comparisons with similar phenomena reported by US diplomatic personnel in Cuba in 2016. Last September, Washington recalled most of its personnel from its embassy in Havana and issued "warnings ”Which advises its citizens to stay away from the island. These actions were taken in response to allegations made by the United States that at least 21 of the diplomatic and support personnel stationed in Cuba suffered sudden and unexplained hearing loss, resulting in brain injuries. In April, the Canadian embassy evacuated all family members of its staff stationed in Havana for similar health problems.
Now a similar warning has been issued by the US State Department for its personnel stationed in China. In a statement, the Department said a staff member at its consulate in the Chinese city of Guangzhou reported experiencing "subtle and vague, but abnormal sensations of sound and unusual pressure in the hearing system." The individual reported suffering from these physical symptoms between late 2017 and April 2018. At that time, the individual was returned to the United States where he was eventually diagnosed with a "mild traumatic brain injury". The statement went on to say that the cause of these symptoms remains unknown and that the US government has no information on other similar incidents affecting Americans in China.
On Wednesday, however, speaking before the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the incident in China was "similar" to the 2016 incidents in Cuba. Some sources of the US government have traced these symptoms to "sonic weapons attacks" that would have been directed at US diplomatic structures. But Washington has so far refrained from accusing China of playing a role in such attacks, both in Cuba and in China itself. Pompeo said Wednesday that Washington has sent a medical team to Guangzhou to inspect American diplomats. The Chinese government said yesterday that it was investigating the incident "thoroughly" to "protect the rights and legitimate interests of foreigners in China." However, the Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, warned that the Guangzhou case should not be "magnified, or even politicized" by Washington.
