Chinese-US affairs have grown bitter in the midst of a series of conflicts regarding spying accusations, technology, trade, tackling the coronavirus pandemic, Hong Kong and allegations of abuses against Chinese Muslims. These relations have fallen to their lowest level in decades.
On Friday, China demanded the US to close its consulate in the western city of Chengdu in an increasingly acrimonious diplomatic conflict. The demand followed the US closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston.
“The measure taken by China is a legitimate and necessary response to the unjustified act by the United States,” said a foreign ministry statement.
“The current situation in Chinese-U.S. relations is not what China desires to see. The United States is responsible for all this,” the ministry said. “We once again urge the United States to immediately retract its wrong decision and create necessary conditions for bringing the bilateral relationship back on track.”
Following the demand, the Chinese foreign ministry appealed to Washington to reverse its “erroneous decision.”
The Trump administration on Tuesday ordered the Houston consulate closed within 72 hours. It alleged Chinese agents tried to steal data from facilities in Texas including the Texas A&M medical system.
The US has an embassy in Beijing and consulates in five other mainland cities – Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang and Wuhan. It also has a consulate in Hong Kong, a Chinese territory.

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