China orders closure of US consulate in Chengdu, retaliating for Houston

China ordered the US to close its consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu, following through on retaliation threats after the Trump administration’s unprecedented decision to shut down the Chinese mission in Houston.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday that the consulate’s closure was a “legitimate and necessary response to the unjustified act by the US”. The widely anticipated retaliation came hours ahead of the US’ deadline for Chinese diplomats to vacate the Houston facility, which the state department said had served as a hub for spying and influence operations.

Beijing’s decision will not only oust American diplomats from the capital of Sichuan province — a region with a population rivaling Germany — it will close a key listening post for developments in neighboring Tibet. The move will probably have a bigger impact than shutting the US consulate in Wuhan, but less than closing US missions in the key financial centers of Hong Kong or Shanghai.

Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular news briefing in Beijing that some consulate staff had “engaged in activities inconsistent with their capacity, interfered in China’s internal affairs and harmed China’s national security interests.”   

China’s state broadcaster began live-streaming footage of the consulate’s entrance.