China on Friday ordered the closure of the US consulate in the western city of Chengdu in apparent retaliation by the Trump administration that closed the Chinese consulate in Houston on allegations of espionage.
“The move by China is a legitimate and necessary response to the unjustified act by the United States,” said a statement from the Foreign Ministry.
“The current situation in Sino-US relations is not what China wants to see. The United States is responsible for all this, “said the ministry. “Once again, we urge the United States to immediately retract its wrong decision and create the necessary conditions to get the bilateral relationship back on track.”
The Trump administration says Chinese agents inside the Texas consulate have been trying to steal scientific data from facilities in the state, including the Texas A&M medical system.
“The accusations by the United States are baseless fabrication,” the Chinese embassy in Washington said in a statement, according to The New York Times.
Beijing promised on Wednesday to retaliate on a US order to close its Houston consulate before the weekend, calling the decision an “unprecedented escalation.”
CHINA THREATENS RETALIATION AFTER US ORDERS HOUSTON CONSULATE CLOSURE
“China demands that the United States reverse the wrong decision. If the United States goes ahead, China would take the necessary countermeasures, “said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin gestures for questions during a daily briefing in Beijing on Thursday, July 23, 2020. China ordered the United States on Friday, July 24, 2020 to close its consulate in the western city. Chengdu, intensifying diplomatic conflict at a time when relations have plunged to their lowest level in decades. (AP Photo / Ng Han Guan)
The closure of the consulate and the espionage charges come amid tensions between the two countries over trade and the coronavirus and Hong Kong.
The Trump administration has also imposed visa restrictions on some Chinese journalists and canceled visas for Chinese graduate students linked to military schools.
CHENGDU, CHINA – JULY 23: People walk by the United States Consulate General in Chengdu on July 23, 2020 in Chengdu, Sichuan province of China. (VCG photo via Getty Images)
A few hours before China ordered the closure, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a speech: “If we want to have a free 21st century, and not the Chinese century that Xi Jinping dreams of, the old paradigm blind engagement with China simply won’t, “The Times reported.
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Following the order to close the Houston consulate, the State Department said the United States “will not tolerate the PRC’s violations of our sovereignty and intimidation of our people, just as we have not tolerated the PRC’s unfair business practices, the stealing American jobs and other egregious behavior. President Trump insists on fairness and reciprocity in US-China relations. “
The United States has an embassy in Beijing and consulates in five other continental cities: Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang, and Wuhan. It also has a consulate in Hong Kong, a Chinese territory.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
