Inspection of Embassy Beijing and Constituent Posts, China

Embassy Beijing, in coordination with the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, should determine whether Consulate General Shanghai requires a deputy principal officer, and if so, formally establish the position and delineate its duties, including supervisor responsibilities.

Embassy Beijing, in coordination with the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs, should review the outreach officer function to determine whether these positions directly and substantially support mission objectives.

Embassy Beijing, in coordination with the Bureau of International Information Programs, should require the consulates general to develop annual resource development and program plans for their American Spaces.

Embassy Beijing, in coordination with the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, should suspend new funding for American Cultural Centers and conduct a formal evaluation of the American Cultural Center program.

Embassy Beijing, in coordination with the Bureau of Administration, should require all Public Affairs Section locally employed staff with responsibility for grants management at Consulate General Chengdu to complete introductory grants training, including training on the use of the State Award Management System.

Embassy Beijing, in coordination with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, should implement a written policy on how the Regional Educational Advising Coordinator should support Mission China’s EducationUSA activities.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs should clarify and reissue guidance on the preparation and distribution of EducationUSA site visit reports and enforce compliance with this requirement.

The Bureau of Consular Affairs should issue guidance in 9 Foreign Affairs Manual for consular officers explaining how to determine potential visa ineligibilities under 8 U.S.C. 1182e.

The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, in coordination with the Bureau of Consular Affairs, should implement a plan to eliminate the backlog of advisory opinion requests for visa applicants who are potentially ineligible under 8 U.S.C. 1182e.

Embassy Beijing should provide a closed-circuit TV monitoring system or other means to enable consular managers to visually observe the activities within the Consular Section’s subcashier booth.

Embassy Beijing, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations and the Bureau of Consular Affairs, should provide a wheelchair-accessible interview window for consular applicants at Consulate General Chengdu.

Embassy Beijing, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations and the Bureau of Consular Affairs, should provide a privacy booth in the consular waiting room at Consulate General Chengdu.

Embassy Beijing should realign responsibilities for the Assistant Regional Security Officer Investigator at Consulate General Chengdu to ensure the requirements in the 2012 memorandum of agreement are met.

Embassy Beijing should implement procedures outlining the human resource support services provided and the frequency of visits at each of the five constituent posts.

Embassy Beijing, in coordination with the Bureau of Administration, should require Consulate General Wuhan to report its own location-specific survey data for post allowances.

Embassy Beijing, in coordination with the Bureau of Administration, should require Consulates General Chengdu and Wuhan to submit updated post consumables allowances justifications.

Embassy Beijing, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should review Mission China residential leases to ensure an accurate determination of non-rent and building operating expenses costs.

Embassy Beijing should implement a standard operating procedure for employees to pay for housing-related services that are not the responsibility of the U.S. Government.

Embassy Beijing should conduct an annual assessment of its furniture and appliance pool and, if deemed necessary, reduce its furniture and appliance pool charges.

Embassy Beijing should establish an annual acquisition plan and include the consulates general in the planning process.

Embassy Beijing should require that all contracting officer representatives and government technical monitors be properly trained and administer their contracts in accordance with Department standards.

The Bureau of Administration, in coordination with Embassy Beijing, should require that all contracting officers in Mission China have the correct warrants.

Embassy Beijing should institute access controls at its offsite warehouse in accordance with Department standards.

Embassy Beijing should implement a corrective action plan to bring all chauffeurs and incidental drivers into compliance with the Department’s Motor Vehicle Safety Management Program.

Embassy Beijing should require that all mission drivers have valid medical clearances in order to operate official vehicles.

Embassy Beijing should require that all drivers assigned to operate armored vehicles complete required Department training.

The Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, in coordination with Embassy Beijing, should implement a long-term strategy to evaluate seismic safety of residential buildings in the embassy housing pool.

Embassy Beijing, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should require that all designated post occupational safety and health officers receive required training.