Power bill ignored by China consulate in Tahiti

1:27 pm on 28 November 2018

China's diplomats are being pursued in French Polynesia for failing to pay their last electricity bill before vacating their premises in Tahiti.

Power bill for China's consulate in Tahiti left unpaid

Power bill for China's consulate in Tahiti left unpaid Photo: supplied

The owner of the property had her bond taken by the power company EDT because the Chinese consulate had stopped settling its monthly bill.

The sum of $US200 is being added to other claims put to the diplomats who earlier agreed to pay for work to return the house to its original state after renting it for 11 years.

They had converted the residential home into an office without the owner's consent while refusing her access by pointing out that the house had become the territory of China.

In April, the owner and the consul, Shen Zhiliang, approved a building expert who found that China's share of the bill for the repairs amounted to just over $US20,000.

China's consul has rejected his assessment.

The residence was vacated in August under terms of a protocol drawn up in April after the Chinese diplomats had ignored last year's notice to move out by February.

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