China orders US consulate closure in tit-for-tat move

China has ordered the closure of the US consulate in the south-western city of Chengdu, in a tit-for-tat escalation between the two countries.

According to BBC, China said the move was in response to the US closing its consulate in Houston, and accused staff in Chengdu of meddling in its internal affairs.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US decision was taken because China was “stealing” intellectual property.

Tensions have been rising between the US and China over several key issues.

President Donald Trump’s administration has clashed repeatedly with Beijing over trade and the coronavirus pandemic, as well as China’s imposition of a controversial new security law in Hong Kong.

On Friday, Washington urged China to “cease these malign actions rather than engage in tit-for-tat retaliation”.

China’s move came hours after Mr Pompeo hardened his tone further in a speech on Thursday at the library of former President Richard Nixon, whose 1972 China visit heralded a period of improved relations.

“Today, China is increasingly authoritarian at home, and more aggressive in its hostility to freedom everywhere else,” Mr Pompeo said.

“The free world must triumph over this new tyranny.”

What has China said?

On Friday, China’s foreign ministry said it was closing the US consulate in Chengdu after staff there “interfered in China’s internal affairs, and endangered China’s security and interests”.

During a news conference, ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin also said the US decision to close the consulate in Houston was based on “a hodgepodge of anti-Chinese lies”.

He said Mr Pompeo’s announcement on Thursday was “filled with ideological bias and a Cold War mentality.”

“Pompeo made a speech in which he made a malicious attack on the Chinese Communist Party,” Mr Wang said, adding: “To this, China expresses strong indignation and resolute opposition.”

The ministry earlier said that the closure of the US consulate in Chengdu was a “legitimate and necessary response” to the actions taken by the US.

“The current situation between China and the United States is something China does not want to see, and the US bears all responsibility for that.”

China has given the US until Monday to close the consulate in Chengdu, according to the editor of China’s Global Times.

The mission, established in 1985 and currently having more than 200 staff – 150 hired locally – is seen as strategically important because it allows the US to gather information on the autonomous region of Tibet, where there has been long-running pressure for independence.

With its industry and growing services sector, Chengdu also is seen by the US as providing opportunities for exports of agricultural products, cars and machinery.

About The Author