US, China trade to suffer as closing of consulates raises diplomatic clash

In shutting each other's consulates, the United States and China have done more than strike symbolic blows in their escalating feud. They've also dimmed each other's ability to observe and to spy on critical regions of their countries.

For the United States, the loss of the Chengdu mission in southwestern China will, among other things, cloud its view of Tibet, a region where Buddhist residents say Beijing is eroding its culture and its traditional independent streak. China says Tibet has been its territory for centuries.

For China, the loss of its mission in Houston dims its view of America's South and, according