2 More Chinese Diplomats Reportedly May Defect

SAN FRANCISCO —  Two more diplomats attached to the Chinese Consulate here may be considering asking for political asylum because they don’t want to inform on Chinese students, according to a report in today’s editions of the San Francisco Chronicle.

The pair, a husband and wife who work in the consulate’s education section, are staying with friends in the Bay Area, despite being due back in Beijing this week, the paper reported.

Quoting sources close to the couple, who were not identified, the paper said the diplomats had been expected to inform on Chinese exchange students protesting here over the June 4 massacre of demonstrators in Tian An Men Square.

“They don’t want to provide a blacklist,” said a friend of the couple who was identified only as a student leader at Stanford University.

Wang Shaohua, a spokesman for the consulate, denied that the couple might be considering defection. He said they left the consulate last week to “live in a friend’s home” for “some time.” He added that their move was “quite a bit unusual” because the travel of Communist consular officials in the United States is restricted.

Two other Chinese diplomats from the consulate sought FBI protection Saturday night after announcing at a City Hall rally that they planned to defect because of the Beijing government’s propaganda campaign, which claims no students were killed in the crackdown on the country’s pro-democracy movement.

Zhou Liming, 26, vice consul for cultural affairs, and Zhang Limin, 25, vice consul for overseas affairs, told the FBI that they wanted to seek political asylum in the United States. They have since gone into hiding and are reportedly reconsidering their actions.

A spokesman said Tuesday night that the FBI had not been contacted by any other diplomats seeking asylum.