China demanded that the US close the Consulate General in Chengdu. This is stated in a message published on the website of the Chinese foreign Ministry on Friday, July 24.
The corresponding notification was sent to the US Embassy, the Chinese diplomatic service reported. The Consulate must stop any activity.
The Chinese side’s demands are a legitimate and necessary response to the unjustified actions of the United States. They comply with international law and the basic norms of international relations, as well as diplomatic practice, the Chinese foreign Ministry stressed.
The Ministry added that the situation in relations between the countries does not suit China and the responsibility for it lies solely on the American side. China called on the US to immediately cancel the requirements and create normal conditions for bilateral relations.
On July 23, it was reported that China would consider closing the American Consulate General in Chengdu in response to Washington’s closure of the Chinese Consulate in Houston. There are five U.S. consulates in China, and the representation in Chengdu is considered strategically important, since it serves the entire southwest of the country, including the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, the Tibet Autonomous region, as well as the city of Central subordination of Chongqing.
A day earlier, a source reported on the possible closure of the American Consulate in Wuhan in response to the restrictions imposed in the United States.
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On July 21, the US demanded that the Chinese diplomatic mission in Houston be closed for three days. US Secretary of state Mike Pompeo accused China of stealing American intellectual property on a large scale. US intelligence agencies believe that the Chinese Consulate General was closely connected with Chinese intelligence.
On July 22, US President Donald Trump, commenting on the fire on the territory of the Consulate, hinted that perhaps the staff of the diplomatic mission tried to destroy important documents.
