CHENGDU (CHINA) – China assumed charge of the US consulate premises in Chengdu on Monday after ordering the closure of the facility two days earlier. This comes as a retaliatory step over the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas.
The US consulate was closed at 10 am local time (0200 GMT) on Monday, and Chinese authorities had entered the building from the front door, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.
Beijing on Friday announced that it had directed the US to close its Chengdu facility and gave consulate staff 72 hours to vacate, the same amount of time Chinese officials was given to vacate the Houston mission, which was closed on Friday.
“We are disappointed by the Chinese Communist Party’s decision and will strive to continue our outreach to the people in this important region through our other posts in China,” a US State Department spokesperson said.
At midday on Monday, police removed a roadblock that had restricted access to the Chengdu consulate and dozens of passersby paused to click snaps and shoot videos.
Standing across the street, one man played the national anthem from his phone.
Over the spot near the entrance where a plaque had been fixed and where there was large lettering saying “US Consulate General”, a grey-sheet was placed.
On its Twitter feed, the US embassy uploaded a video in Chinese: “The US consulate in Chengdu has been proudly promoting the mutual understanding between Americans and the people in Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Yunnan and Tibet since 1985. We will forever miss you,” it said.
At 6:18 am on Monday, the American flag was lowered, according to a video shot by a local journalist and shared on state broadcaster CCTV’s Weibo account.
However, the eagle atop the flag mast still remains.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field