Chinese authorities take control of US consulate in Chengdu – By Kim Hjelmgaard & Deirdre Shesgreen (USA Today) / July 27 2020
U.S. diplomatic staff vacated an American consulate in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu on Monday after it was ordered closed by Beijing amid rising tensions between the global powers.
China’s government ordered the mission to be shut in retaliation for a U.S. order to shut down China’s consulate in Houston amid spying allegations.
In Chengdu, footage broadcast by China’s state broadcaster CCTV showed U.S. consular staff leaving the facility, a plaque being removed and the U.S. flag lowered. China’s foreign ministry said its staff entered the building and were in control.
Outside, crowds assembled waving Chinese flags and taking photos and selfies on smartphones as shoppers and families with strollers jammed nearby streets on a sunny day in the city of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province.
The tit-for-tat closings marked a significant escalation in the multiple disputes between the countries over issues ranging from trade and technology to national security, human rights, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The Trump administration blames China for the coronavirus pandemic.
Continue to article: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2020/07/26/chinese-authorities-take-control-us-consulate-chengdu/5516600002/
