China takes over US consulate premises in Chengdu as ties worsen
UPDATED 12.20PM | China said it has taken over the premises of the US consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu today, after ordering the facility be shut in retaliation for being ousted from the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas.
Police in Chengdu restricted access to the area around the consulate from this morning, and four officials in personal protective gear were seen walking towards the consulate at about 10.24am local time (same time as Malaysia)...
UPDATED 12.20PM | China said it has taken over the premises of the US consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu today, after ordering the facility be shut in retaliation for being ousted from the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas.
Police in Chengdu restricted access to the area around the consulate from this morning, and four officials in personal protective gear were seen walking towards the consulate at about 10.24am local time (same time as Malaysia).
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the consulate was closed as of 10am. It said later that the authorities entered the building and took over the premises.
China ordered the closure of the facility last Friday, after Washington last week gave China 72 hours to vacate its consulate in Houston, in a dramatic escalation of tensions between the world's two largest economies.
The United States confirmed the closure of the consulate in a farewell video shared from the US Embassy in China's Twitter account.
"The US Consulate in Chengdu has been proudly promoting the mutual understanding between Americans and the people in Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Yunnan and Tibet since 1985. We will forever miss you," it said.
State broadcaster CCTV shared a video on its Twitter-like Weibo account, taken by a reporter, of the American flag in front of the consulate in Chengdu being lowered at 6.18am today.
Last night, a crane was seen entering the consulate compound and hoisting at least one container onto a large truck.
On Saturday evening, a worker was seen using tools, including a hammer and chisel, to remove fittings around a plaque outside the main entrance.
US-China relations have plunged to their worst in decades over a range of disputes, from trade and technology to the Covid-19 pandemic, China's territorial claims in the South China Sea and its clampdown on Hong Kong.
- Reuters
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