GUANGZHOU (CANTON)
Although Guangzhou was not on our original itinerary, the State Department's Consular Affairs Bureau recommended that we make a short trip from Hong Kong to visit the American Consulate General in Guangzhou, China, in view of its unusual problems.
The Consulate General was formally opened by former Vice Presi- dent Mondale in August 1979 in the Tung Fang Hotel where the fa- cility remains today. Not only are all consular services located in this hotel but also the USIS facility, economic-commercial services, polit- ical reporting, and all staff residences including families. This situa- tion results in severe security, morale, and space problems for the 20- member staff, 22 local employees, and 20 dependents.
SECURITY
According to a report of a State Department security officer, the overall security picture is appalling. Among the most glaring de- ficiencies are the following:
1. The consulate has no Marine guard. Entry security is pro- vided by a single Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) guard for whom the consulate is required to pay;
2. A PLA detachment is barracked on the floor above the con- sulate with no intervening physical security;
3. Local security forces have proved to be unreliable. For ex- ample, they failed to respond to a consulate call for assistance during an altercation caused by an irate visa applicant in the consular section;
4. Document security is nil since the hotel has keys to all staff offices and hotel rooms where the staff resides. One consular officer likened the situation to "putting padlocks on cardboard boxes.”
HOUSING
The total lack of housing other than that provided by the Tung Fang Hotel has made service in Guangzhou difficult, especially for personnel with families, and has impacted negatively on the morale of all U.S. employees. Other than hotplates, the hotel rooms have no kitchen facilities, dishes must be washed in the bathtub, and rodents infest the upholstered furniture. Although R&R trips to Hong Kong are convenient, internal travel is severely limited thereby magnifying the claustrophobic nature of permanent living in these quarters.
OFFICES
State Department efforts to reach agreement with the PRC on new consular facilities and staff housing have thus far been unsuccessful. The Chinese Government offers to date have been characterized by inadequate land and office space, outrageous land and construction
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