
Documents burn after U.S. orders China to close consulate - sahin-boydas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-80nXk_rxPE&feature=youtu.be
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nomel
This is completely expected, and common practice, isn’t it?

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eiji
Don't know if you are sarcastic here, but yes, the destruction of documents
and "evidence" or traces is certainly expected. What isn't is the method in
which it is done. The fact that they had to make a fire indicates they were
cought unprepared, which is a position you don't want to be in. You want to
have enough intelligence information from sources so you can destroy evidence
without a rush or with your pants down like this. This is certainly seen as an
embarrassment. Not more or less.

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nomel
Or perhaps they realized that the few high security document destruction
machines they had on site, for daily sporadic use, wouldn't be enough to
destroy the complete collection of documents, accumulated over the last 41
years that they've been present, in a timely manner?

According to DoD 5220.22-M, 5-705, incineration is probably the only realistic
method in this particular situation.

The US has done the same in the past. When a foreign government kicks you out,
you can't say politely ask "ok, can you give us a week to finish up here?". Or
are you suggesting that they should have known they were going to be kicked
out and destroyed everything in preporation?

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eiji
> Or are you suggesting that they should have known they were going to be
> kicked out and destroyed everything in preporation?

That's precisely what I'm trying to say. A campfire is certainly the fastest
way to get the job done. It's just a very open public acknowledgement that you
have stuff to burn. Every embassy or consulate on foreign soil has plenty of
documents that are very confidential. Not all is criminal by any means. There
is plenty of supporting material and analysis of economic concerns that are
treated very confidential.

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nomel
How would they have known, weeks in advance, for what is being reported as an
"abrupt" decision? Guessing wrong would mean destroying everything without
reason. How would they benefit from not waiting until the decision was
actually made?

From the linked video:

> Images show people burning documents at China's consulate in Houston, a
> common practice when a diplomatic post is quickly abandoned.

