The United States did not send high-level officials to an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) tourism ministerial meeting in Macau, citing China’s restrictions on American diplomats’ ability to provide emergency consular help.

Washington did not send “high-level participants” to the meeting, which runs from Wednesday to Sunday in China’s Macau Special Administrative Region, according to a US State Department statement released on Wednesday.

The US had repeatedly asked China to lift the “arbitrary and targeted” visa requirements it imposes on US government officials travelling to Macau to provide consular services to American citizens, the statement said.

When China chose to host the tourism-focused Apec meeting in Macau, Washington again asked Beijing to address its concerns and proposed “a positive way forward,” but China “rejected” the proposal and “chose to maintain its discriminatory practice”, it said.

The statement did not say whether any lower-level US representatives would attend the meeting in Macau. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The US has no consular post in Macau. Its consular services there are handled by the consulate general in Hong Kong.