China’s foreign ministry said Friday that it told the U.S. Embassy in China to shut its consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu, an apparent retaliation to Washington’s order to close the Chinese consulate in Houston.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China informed the US Embassy in China of its decision to withdraw its consent for the establishment and operation of the US Consulate General in Chengdu,” the ministry said in a statement, without elaboration on details. “The Ministry also made specific requirements on the ceasing of all operations and events by the Consulate General.”
The tit-for-tat move comes after the U.S. ordered China on Tuesday to close the consulate in Houston within 72 hours, marking what Beijing called an “unprecedented escalation” of tensions between the two powers since they normalized diplomatic relations in 1979.
Beijing called the retaliation “a legitimate and necessary response to the unjustified act by the U.S.,” and said Washington should be held responsible for the drastic deterioration of China-U.S. relations.
The Chengdu consulate is one of the six U.S. consulates in China. It covers five provincial-level regions, including Tibet in southwestern China. The other U.S. consulates are in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, and Wuhan, as well as one for both Hong Kong and Macau.
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