A worker tries to remove the wall badge from the US consulate in Chengdu (AFP)
Chengdu, China:
The American flag was lowered on Monday at the United States consulate in Chengdu, days after Beijing ordered it to close in retaliation for the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston.
Footage on public broadcaster CCTV from outside the consulate showed the flag slowly being lowered early Monday morning, after diplomatic tensions flared between the two powers, both claiming the other had put in danger to national security.
Relations have deteriorated in recent weeks into a Cold War-style stalemate, with the Chengdu mission being ordered to close on Friday in retaliation for the forced closure of the Beijing Consulate in Houston, Texas.
The deadline for Americans to leave Chengdu is unclear, but the Chinese consulate in Houston had 72 hours to close after the initial order.
On Saturday, AFP journalists saw workers remove the US badge from the front of the consulate.
Over the weekend, moving trucks entered the US consulate and cleaners were seen carrying large black trash bags from the building.
Beijing said the closure of the Chengdu consulate was a “legitimate and necessary response to unreasonable US actions” and alleged that diplomatic mission staff endanger China’s security and interests.
Washington officials, meanwhile, said the Chinese consulate in Houston had made unacceptable efforts to steal US business secrets.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
