Security was tight outside the U.S. consulate in the Chinese city of Chengdu on Saturday as staff inside prepared to leave, a day after China ordered it to close in response to a U.S. order for China to shut its consulate in Houston. The Chinese order to close it was retaliation after the Trump administration gave China until 4 p.m. last Friday to vacate its consulate in the Texas city. At the Houston consulate, staff packed up belongings watched by jeering protesters. Residents in Chengdu expressed mixed views on the closure of the U.S. consulate in the city. China's foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin has said some personnel at the Chengdu consulate were "conducting activities not in line with their identities" and had interfered in China's affairs and harmed its security interests.

Source: The Star July 25, 2020 09:33 UTC