The Chinese government has ordered the closure of the US Consulate in Chengdu. It is, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, “a legal and necessary response to unjustified US action,”
The South China Morning Post reported. Beijing responds to the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston.
Washington decided to do this because hackers, with support from the People’s Republic, would gather confidential information from companies in the US, among others.
The countermeasure, according to Beijing, is “following international law, customs in international relations and diplomatic practice”.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo repeated the allegations in a speech Thursday, saying the Houston consulate is a hub of espionage and “theft of intellectual property.”
The consulate is due to close on Friday, but the consul general, Cai Wei, told US media on Thursday that the consulate will remain open until further notice.
The US consulate in the metropolis of Chengdu is mainly concerned with southwestern China, including China-occupied Tibet and Sichuan Province.
Some Chinese media suggest that the government, to defy the Americans even more, should have ordered the consulate in Hong Kong to be closed.