China pays back, takes over US consulate in Chengdu

Beijing/Chengdu, July 27

China on Monday said it took control of the US consulate in Chengdu after it was formally closed as per Beijing’s directive in retaliation to America’s move to shut down the Chinese diplomatic mission in Houston.

“At 10am July 27, as required by the Chinese side, the US Consulate General in Chengdu was closed,” a press release by Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday. Chengdu is the capital of southwest China’s Sichuan province.

“China’s competent authorities then entered through the front entrance and took over the premises,” it said.

The American flag over the building was lowered at dawn, according to Chinese state-run broadcaster CCTV, and onlookers were moved back as a heavy police presence surrounded the consulate, which Beijing ordered to shut on Friday in a tit-for-tat move.

Last week, the US government ordered the closure of China’s consulate in Houston, Texas, claiming the mission had been involved in a larger Chinese espionage effort using diplomatic facilities around the US.

The US State Department in a statement on Monday expressed disappointment over the closure, saying the consulate “has stood at the centre of our relations with the people in Western China, including Tibet, for 35 years.” “We are disappointed by the Chinese Communist Party’s decision and will strive to continue our outreach to the people in this important region through our other posts in China,” the statement said.

Strict traffic controls were put in place around the US consulate premises before the closure.

Shortly before 11 am, several cars, a white ambulance, and dozens of Chinese workers were seen leaving the Chengdu Consulate as dozens of people lingered nearby, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

Several side streets, as well as a main road leading to the consulate were blocked, with dozens of policemen guarding the intersections.

Cranes hoisted containers inside the main entrance of the US Consulate, while crowds gathered to witness the “historic” moment, taking photos and recording videos, state-run Global Times reported.

Since Saturday, people and vehicles were frequently seen going in and out of the consulate and locals have quietly gathered behind the police cordon in front of the main gate of the Consulate. — PTI

Simmering tension

• July 9 US imposes visa and asset restrictions on Chinese officials linked to rights abuses in the Xinjiang region
• July 13 China imposes sanctions on fourAmerican lawmakers
• July 13 Washington says Beijing has no legal grounds for most of its maritime claims in the South China Sea
• July 14 Beijing says it will sanction Lockheed Martin for its involvement in the latest US arms sale to Chinese-claimed Taiwan
• July 25 Authorities shut Chinese consulate in Houston
• July 27 Beijing takes over US mission in Chengdu