(Beijing) China on Friday ordered the closure of the United States consulate in the large city of Chengdu, three days after Washington's decision to close the Chinese consulate in Houston.
Posted on 24 July 2020 at 0h 09 Updated at 0h 28
France Media Agency
This decision constitutes “a legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable measures of the United States”, underlined in a press release the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ministry did not specify when the diplomatic representation should close its doors. In the case of Houston, the Trump administration only gave Chinese diplomats 72 hours to pack up.
In addition to their embassy in Beijing, the United States has five consulates in mainland China (Canton, Shanghai, Shenyang, Chengdu, Wuhan) as well as one in Hong Kong.
The Chengdu mission, inaugurated in 1985, covers all of southwest China, especially the Tibet Autonomous Region. According to its website, it has 200 employees, including 72 of local status.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that the Chinese Consulate in Houston is a hub for “Chinese espionage and” theft of “American” intellectual property.