Two Chinese officials, at least one suspected to be tied to spying efforts, were expelled from the U.S. after driving onto a Special Operations military base in Virginia, The New York Times reported.
The incident occurred in September and the expulsion was the first since 1987 for Chinese diplomats, according to the Times.
In October, State Department installed tighter restrictions on Chinese diplomats and their activities, including where they go and whom they meet with – moves the Chinese Embassy have said were "in violation of the Vienna Convention," according to the report.
The officials did not have credentials to enter the base and were told at the guard gate to turn around, but they kept driving and were only stopped when blocked by fire trucks, per the report.
It was suspected the Chinese officials were testing the security of the base for future intelligence operations.
The Chinese have not retaliated, suggesting their acceptance of culpability.
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