Chinese Aide to U.S. Embassy Shot Near Beijing

Chinese security forces fired on a U.S. Embassy car last week, killing the Chinese driver, apparently after he tried to run a late-night roadblock, an embassy spokesman said Saturday.

Killed in the Thursday night incident, which did not involve any Americans, was the dispatcher in charge of vehicles for the embassy, spokesman Sheridan Bell said.

Bell said the dispatcher, whose name was not released, had taken an embassy car without authorization and was driving with his wife about 20 miles outside Beijing when the incident occurred.

The man’s wife was hospitalized for injuries from the shooting, Bell said.

“Basically, it’s a tragic incident, and it has no bearing on the course of Sino-American relations,” Bell added.

The incident reflects continued tight security in Beijing more than a year after the army crushed massive pro-democracy protests.

Martial law was lifted in January, but paramilitary police have continued to man late-night roadblocks. When vehicles are stopped, drivers must show identification, and trunks or back seats are often searched.

Security measures are being tightened again, as authorities appear worried about incidents of sabotage, terrorism or political protest during the Asian Games, which begin here Sept. 22.

Bell said there were no American witnesses to the shooting, which took place around midnight.

But Chinese authorities have told American officials that the car was ordered to stop at a roadblock and failed to do so, Bell said. Chinese authorities, he related, said that in the darkness those manning the roadblock “did not notice the diplomatic plates (and) shot.”