The Cold War-style diplomacy between the United States and China have grown furious this week as China ordered the US consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu to close. This is in retaliation for one of its missions in the United States being shuttered.
The announcement of the closure came after a stern warning from top American officials about the “tyranny” of China, and Chinese nationals being indicted in the United States on various charges.
In a statement by the Chinese foreign ministry, ordering the Chengdu consulate to stop operation was 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 ministry established that the closure was a direct response to the United States on Tuesday ordering the Chinese consulate in Houston to shut down.
This week, the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo said Houston mission was a “hub of spying and intellectual property theft”
Republican Senator, Marco Rubio referred to the consulate as the “central node of the Communist Party’s vast network of spies and influences operations in the United States.”
However, China described the allegations as “malicious slander”.
The order on Houston came a day after the US Justice Department unveiled the indictment of two Chinese nationals for allegedly hacking hundreds of companies and attempting to steal coronavirus vaccine research.
The Justice Department on Thursday then announced indictments of four Chinese researchers it said they lied about their ties with the People’s Liberation Army, with one escaping arrest by taking refuge in China’s San Francisco consulate.
