China orders U.S. to close Consulate-General in Chengdu

CGTN Published: 2020-07-24 12:15:31

China has ordered the U.S. to close its consulate general in the city of Chengdu, southwest China, in response to U.S. directive for China to shut its consulate general in Houston, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

A view of the U.S. Consulate-General in Chengdu. [File Photo: Visual People]

The Foreign Ministry said that the decision was a justifiable and necessary response to the unreasonable act of the U.S. on July 21 of abruptly asking China to close its consulate general in Houston by Friday.

Shortly after the announcement, Global Times Editor-in-Chief Hu Xijin said on Twitter that China had ordered the U.S. side to vacate the consulate in 72 hours and notified them at 10 a.m. on July 24. The consulate will be shut at 10 a.m. local time on July 27.

The ministry said that the U.S. provocation has seriously violated international law, basic norms of international relations, as well as relevant provisions of the China-U.S. consular treaty.

It has severely damaged the Sino-U.S. relations, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

The move, according to the U.S. State Department, was to “protect Americans’ intellectual property and private information.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry condemned the announcement on Wednesday and urged the U.S. to recall its wrong decision.