US Shuts Its Consulate In Chengdu After China Asked For Its Closure In Retaliatory Move

The United States (US) Consulate in Chengdu was closed on Monday (27 July) after China asked it to be shut down last week as a retaliatory move against Washington’s decision to close the Asian nation's mission in Houston.

A US State Department statement said that the Consulate suspended operations at 10:00am on Monday.

China had given the US till July 27 to close the Consulate.

Even as the US closed the Consulate, it expressed disappointment at China’s decision.

The State Department said the US would try to continue its outreach to the region through its other missions in China.

The Chengdu Consulate “has stood at the centre of our relations with the people in Western China, including Tibet, for 35 years”, it added.

The US-China tensions have escalated since President Donald Trump’s administration renegotiated terms of trade with the regime of his counterpart, Xi Jinping.

The two countries entered into a cold war like situation after China withheld information about the coronavirus pandemic, resulting into a global crisis.

(With inputs from IANS)