US consulate in Chengdu officially shuts in retaliation for Houston closure

[Nevilledog]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/26/asia/chengdu-us-consulate-china-closure-intl-hnk/index.html

Chengdu, China (CNN)The United States consulate in the Chinese city of Chengdu officially closed on Monday morning, amid worsening relations between Beijing and Washington.

The American flag over the building was lowered at dawn, according to Chinese state-run broadcaster CCTV, and onlookers were moved back as a heavy police presence surrounded the consulate, which Beijing ordered to shut on Friday in a tit-for-tat move.

Last week, the US government abruptly ordered the closure of China's consulate in Houston, Texas, claiming the mission had been involved in a larger Chinese espionage effort using diplomatic facilities around the US.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement Monday that the Chengdu consulate closed at 10 a.m. "Relevant Chinese authorities then entered from the main entrance and took over," the ministry said in the statement posted on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

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[smirkymonkey]

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