China Demands Closure of US Consulate in Chengdu Within 72 Hours

(Chengdu AFP=Yonhap News) Pedestrians are passing in front of the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, on the 23rd.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] On the 24th, China demanded the closure of the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. This is in response to the U.S. decision to close the Chinese Consulate General in Houston.

On the same day, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs notified the U.S. Embassy in China that "China withdraws the approval for the establishment and operation of the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu" and that "all operations and activities of the Chengdu Consulate General must cease." Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, criticized at the daily briefing that "staff at the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu engaged in activities inconsistent with their status, interfering in China's internal affairs and harming China's security interests."

Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of Global Times, a sister publication of the Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper People's Daily, also announced that China notified the closure of the Chengdu consulate on the same day, stating that "the deadline for closure is 10 a.m. on the 27th, 72 hours later."

Earlier, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized in a statement that "on July 21, the U.S. unilaterally provoked (China)" and "suddenly notified the closure of the Chinese Consulate General in Houston."

It further pointed out that "this seriously violates international law, basic norms of international relations, and the provisions of the China-U.S. consular treaty," and "also seriously damages China-U.S. relations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.