The chargé d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing is ending his 27-year career at the State Department due to President Trump pulling the United States out of the Paris Agreement to combat climate change, a senior U.S. official told Reuters Monday.
The official said the acting ambassador, David Rank, could not support the decision and didn't think he was able to give China a diplomatic note letting the Chinese government know of the move. A spokeswoman for the State Department confirmed that Rank is leaving his post, but did not comment on why he is deciding to depart now. A U.S. official told Reuters that Rank announced on Monday he planned to retire, but the State Department told him to leave immediately.
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