Amid the first heatwave red alert of the year in Wuhan, the US Consulate General in Wuhan faced delays in the activation of the building’s air conditioning by the property management company, which resulted in visa applicants having to wait outside the building for extended periods, potentially posing a safety hazard, and as a rare move, suspended in-person visa interviews.
In an announcement issued by the US Consulate General in Wuhan on Friday (July 18th), it stated, “Due to the unsafe temperature within our building, the US Consulate General in Wuhan is suspending visa interview appointments with immediate effect.”
The announcement cited two reasons for suspending in-person interviews, stating, “The property management of the building where the US Consulate General in Wuhan is located routinely delays the activation of the building’s air conditioning, resulting in the temperature in our waiting area reaching up to 33 degrees Celsius in the morning. Additionally, the building management has implemented additional security procedures that require applicants to wait outside without shade for extended periods.”
The announcement mentioned that the Consulate General in Wuhan is coordinating with the building management to improve conditions and pledged, “Once we can ensure the health and safety of applicants and our staff, we will resume visa services.”
The US Consulate in Wuhan will directly contact affected applicants via email. Visa applicants whose appointments have been canceled can reschedule their interviews through the visa appointment system, while visa appointments at other US consulates in China remain open.
Wuhan is known as a “furnace city.” Starting from Wednesday (16th), Wuhan has experienced three consecutive days of high temperatures, triggering the first heatwave alert of the year. Meanwhile, the US Consulate General in Wuhan has also mentioned for three consecutive days the inadequate response of the property management to extreme heat conditions.
On July 16th, the Wuhan Meteorological Observatory issued the first red heatwave warning of the year, with daytime temperatures reaching 39-40 degrees Celsius in most areas, and exceeding 41 degrees Celsius in some streets and towns.
On the 17th and 18th, the observatory issued yellow heatwave warnings with thunderstorms or showers, but the maximum temperatures in the central urban area are expected to remain between 37-39 degrees Celsius. Citizens are advised to avoid outdoor activities during high-temperature periods and take necessary sun protection measures if necessary.
The US Consulate General in Wuhan is located in the China Minsheng Bank Building at 396 Xinhua Road in the Jianghan District. The Minsheng Bank Building has a total of 68 floors, with a total height of approximately 333 meters.
In their announcement on the 16th, the consulate expressed concerns about the health and safety issues resulting from extreme temperatures and requested the building management to improve the environment for applicants during the visa-free waiting period, including ensuring early activation of air conditioning, providing more shade for applicants waiting outdoors under the scorching sun, and optimizing the entry process into the building for quicker and more efficient procedures. The consulate decided to delay the start of consular services by one hour starting from the 17th.
In the announcement on the 17th, the US Consulate General in Wuhan notified the suspension of visa interview appointments starting from the 18th and apologized for the need for many applicants to reschedule appointments, as well as directly contacting affected applicants via email.
On the 18th, the US Consulate General in Wuhan began to suspend visa interview appointments. Later that day, the consulate posted, “We have learned that due to technical reasons, some appointments for July 21st (next Monday) were not canceled in the system. We have directly contacted affected applicants via email to inform them that the appointments have been canceled.”
Chinese netizens who were scheduling in-person interviews commented, “We eagerly rescheduled our appointment from August 5th to July 24th, only to have it canceled that night, and the only appointment available was on August 19th.”
Another netizen replied, “You are luckier, at least you didn’t go in vain in such hot weather.”
The netizen whose interview was canceled responded, “But Wuhan is already the easiest to book; Shanghai doesn’t even have a slot.”
According to the information retrieved by Da Ji Yuan, Wuhan Hongbo Property Management Co., Ltd. is responsible for the building where the US Consulate General in Wuhan is located in the China Minsheng Bank Building. The Wuhan Municipal Fire Department’s 2022 notification listed the property as a high-risk fire unit on Xinhua Street in 2022.
In 2019, the Wuhan Jiang’an District Market Supervision and Administration Bureau also imposed administrative penalties on Hongbo Property for illegally charging additional fees for users’ electricity bills, resulting in a fine of 57,000 yuan.
A Chinese netizen wrote in a comment, “Considering the general situation and experience in China, let’s leave the property alone for now.”
Some netizens commented that the property had a “mafia vibe” and was at odds with the consulate.
One netizen disclosed that amid the high temperatures in Wuhan in July, the property did not activate the air conditioning on time and made additional profits by charging extra fees under the pretext of providing services like bag storage and umbrella sales. For each bag stored, applicants were charged 50 yuan, leading to an income of about 6.2 million yuan if 500 bags were stored per day. Additionally, applicants were left waiting outdoors, exposed to wind, sun, and rain.
Henry Gao, a law professor at the Singapore Management University, posted on social media, “The ‘Cold’ War is back—literally this time—the US Consulate General in Wuhan has suspended its services due to the local property management company repeatedly refusing to turn on the air conditioning.”
“Diplomacy may be heating up, but not in that building.”