Following orders to close the Chinese Consulate in Houston earlier this week by the United States' government, China in retaliation has on Friday ordered US to close down its Consulate in the Southwestern city of Chengdu. The Chinese foreign ministry in a statement said the order is a "legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable measures by the United States." "The current situation in China-US relations is not what China desires to see, and the US is responsible for all this," the statement added.
The US Consulate in Chengdu was established in 1985 with almost 150 staff locally hired in China.
Tension has in recent times been on the rise between the two countries following trade disagreements with the closure of consulates being the latest move.
US has alleged that China was using its technology and other infrastructure to spy on the US, stopping the use of Chinese technologies like Huawei in America.
The order came days after two Chinese nationals were indicted for attempting to hack US research information on the COVID-19 vaccine.
US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo described the Chinese consulate in Houston as a " hub of spying and intellectual property theft."
China has, however, denied all allegations, saying it is "malicious slander" against the country.
