U.S. closes consulate in Chengdu

The United States announced late Sunday night that it has closed its consulate in Chengdu, China.

On Thursday, the Chinese government ordered the consulate shuttered in retaliation for the United States telling China earlier in the week that it had to close its consulate in Houston. U.S. officials accused China of using the consulate to engage in economic espionage, a charge Beijing denied.

The Chengdu consulate "stood at the center of our relations with the people in western China, including Tibet, for 35 years," the State Department said in a statement. It was one of five U.S. consulates in mainland China, and the State Department said it plans to use its other missions to continue outreach in the region.

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