The United States of America officially closed its consulate in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu on Monday, amid worsening bilateral ties between Washington and Beijing.
The American diplomatic staff vacated the Chengdu consulate permanently during the morning hours soon after a 72 hour deadline given to them expired.
China had ordered the closure of the consulate to express their strong resentment to the U.S closing the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas, last week.
The U.S. ordered an abrupt closure of the Chinese consulate accusing China of sponsoring operations and criminal hackers in America which posed a serious threat to “American intellectual property” and “private information.”
Only a few days before America’s order, America had indicted two Chinese nationals alleging that the hackers, who were in close partnership with China’s intelligence service, attempted to steal COVID vaccine research.
On Friday last week, along with ordering the American consulate shut, China hit back at America brushing American allegations as “malicious slander.”
Before the Monday deadline, staff were seen vacating the building, a plaque was removed, and a U.S. flag was lowered, BBC reported.
Hundreds of people, mostly local residents gathered outside the consulate to witness the closure of the consulate, with many waving Chinese flags and taking selfies.
A U.S Department spokesperson said, “The consulate has stood at the centre of our relations with the people in Western China, including Tibet, for 35 years.”
He added, “We are disappointed by the Chinese Communist Party’s decision and will strive to continue our outreach to the people in this important region through our other posts in China.”
In a statement, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared the Chengdu consulate closed at 10 AM
“Relevant Chinese authorities then entered from the main entrance and took over,” the Ministry said in a statement posted on Chinese social media platform Weibo.
The vacation of consulates has emerged as a new inflection point in the US-China ties. The Trump administration has clashed on several issues with Beijing relating to trade and the corona virus. Very recently, Trump levelled severe criticism against Beijing’s move of imposing a controversial new security law in Hong Kong that shall significantly curb freedoms guaranteed to Hong Kong by the British in 1997.
Free Press Kashmir is now on Telegram. Click here to Join.
