China orders closure of US consulate in Chengdu

BEIJING: China has ordered the United States to close its consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu, in retaliation against Washington’s move to shut down the Chinese consulate in Houston.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that they informed the US Embassy in Beijing of its decision to withdraw its consent for the establishment and operation of the US Consulate General in Chengdu.

“The ministry also made specific requirements on ceasing all operations and events by the Consulate General,” said the ministry, without mentioned when the consulate should be closed.

“The US move seriously breached the international law, the basic norms of international relations, and the terms of the China-US Consular Convention. It gravely harmed China-US relations,” the statement added.

“The measure taken by China is a legitimate and necessary response to the unjustified act by the US. It conforms with international law, the basic norms of international relations, and customary diplomatic practices,” it added.

READ MORE: US orders China to shut down Houston consulate

The current situation in China-US relations is not what Beijing desires to see, and Washington is responsible for all this, it further said. Beijing urged Washington to immediately retract its decision and create necessary conditions for bringing the bilateral relationship back on track.

On Wednesday, the US State Department shut down the Chinese Consulate in Houston and said the decision was made “in order to protect American intellectual property and American’s private information.

The moves come amid a dramatic escalation in tensions between the world’s two biggest economies. On Tuesday, Washington gave Beijing 72 hours to close its mission in Houston, Texas, alleging the theft of intellectual property and espionage.

Ties have also deteriorated over a number of issues, ranging from the new coronavirus pandemic to Beijing’s trade and business practices, territorial claims in the South China Sea to its clampdown in Hong Kong and the far western region of Xinjiang.