China orders closure of US consulate in Chengdu

[BEIJING] China said Friday it had revoked the license for the US consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu, in retaliation for the closure of China's Houston consulate earlier this week.

The move is a "legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable measures by the United States", the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The current situation in China-US relations is not what China desires to see, and the US is responsible for all this," the statement said.

Tensions have been escalating on multiple fronts between the world's two biggest economies, deteriorating further after Washington ordered the closure of the Houston consulate on Tuesday within 72 hours.

China had threatened to retaliate if the US did not withdraw its decision.

The Chengdu consulate was established in 1985, and has around 200 staff with approximately 150 locally hired Chinese staff, according to its website.

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AFP