US Consulate in Chengdu Shuts

Beijing announced that the US consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu was closing on Monday at 10 a.m. (0200 GMT) after it had instructed the building to be shut down in retaliation for the removal of China from its consulate in Houston, Texas.

Police in Chengdu closed entry to the region outside the consulate on Monday morning, and four personal protection equipment officers could be seen heading to the consulate at around 10:24 a.m. local time, reports Reuters.

China ordered the closing of the facility on Friday after Washington last week gave China 72 hours to leave its consulate in Houston, in a drastic deterioration of relations between the world's two largest economies.

State broadcaster CCTV posted a photo on its Twitter page, and Weibo, shot by a photographer, of the American flag in front of the Chengdu consulate, which was lowered at 6:18 a.m. on Monday.

On Sunday night, a crane was seen approaching the consulate and hoisting at least one container on a big truck.

On Saturday evening, a worker was seen using devices, including a hammer and a chisel, to cut fittings around a sign outside the main entrance.

For decades, US-China relations have plummeted to their lowest in a number of conflicts, from commerce and technologies to the COVID-19 pandemic, China's territorial demands in the South China Sea, and its assault on Hong Kong.