The case, the first that Washington has reported out of China, is reminiscent of a wave of so-called “sonic attacks” on US diplomats in Cuba that resulted in the withdrawal of a large number of American personnel, including many who complained of symptoms like hearing loss, dizziness, tinnitus, visual difficulties, headaches and fatigue.
American officials said no other case had been reported from China but "the US government is taking these reports seriously and has informed its official staff in China of this event."
"While in China, if you experience any unusual acute auditory or sensory phenomena accompanied by unusual sounds or piercing noises, do not attempt to locate their source. Instead, move to a location where the sounds are not present," a health alert issued by the US Embassy in Beijing said, urging people with medical problems to consult a doctor.
The sole incident from China surfaced when a US government employee deployed in Guangzhou reported “subtle and vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure" between late 2017 through April 2018. The person was sent back to the United States and diagnosed with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) on May 18.
Both in the Cuba case and the current one, US officials are leery of ascribing it to the “sonic weapon” theory that is already making the rounds on social media, but the State Department said it is taking this incident very seriously and is working to determine the cause and impact of the incident. The Chinese government too has assured they are also investigating and taking appropriate measures, a State Department official told news agencies. Cuban investigators had earlier dismissed US suspicions of a sonic attack as “science fiction.”
The latest development came amid a ripple of mistrust between US and China illustrated by President Trump suggesting that Beijing was to blame for North Korea’s sudden backing away from the Singapore summit with US. Although he professed personal friendship with China’s President Xi Jinping, Trump said North Korea appeared emboldened to toughen its stand after its leader Kim Jong-un recently visited Beijing.
Trump has also been blowing hot and cold on China on the trade issue, sometimes praising Beijing for its stand and sometimes lambasting it for exploiting what he sees as US munificence.