The United States loses a consulate in China

After 35 years of representation in the Chinese region, American diplomats are packing up, a sign of the deterioration of relations between China and the United States. The shutdown acts in retaliation after the United States imposed the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas, days earlier.

For several weeks, the two powers have accused each other of using their consulates for espionage. Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, had also justified the closure in these terms: “We closed the Chinese consulate in Houston because it was a hub for espionage and theft of intellectual property. "

Faced with these accusations, Beijing returns the ball to Washington: "Some employees of the United States consulate in Chengdu have engaged in activities beyond their remit, they have interfered in the internal affairs of China and endangered security and Chinese interests, ”accused Chinese diplomacy spokesman Wang Wenbin.

For months, the two countries have clashed amidst a trade war and tensions linked to the origin of the coronavirus crisis, as well as to the national security law in Hong Kong.