CHENGDU, China -- The U.S. closed its consulate in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu on Monday, a victim of the rising tensions between the global powers. China ordered the mission closed late last week in retaliation for a U.S. order to shut down the Chinese Consulate in Houston earlier the same week. A statement from the State Department said that the Chengdu consulate suspended operations at 10 a.m."The consulate has stood at the center of our relations with the people in Western China, including Tibet, for 35 years," the statement said. The American flag was taken down at the Chengdu mission at 6:18 a.m., China's state broadcaster CCTV said on its social media account. Police closed off a two- to three-block area around the consulate, cutting off virtually any view of the property including the flag.

Source: Fox News July 27, 2020 03:11 UTC