China orders US to shut consulate in Chengdu in retaliation for Houston closure

China has ordered the US to shut its consulate in the western city of Chengdu in retaliation for the closure of its Houston outpost.

It comes as the latest development in an increasingly tense diplomatic conflict.

Last week, the US ordered the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston "to protect American intellectual property and Americans' private information".

China’s foreign ministry quickly appealed to Washington to reverse its “erroneous” decision.

People walking past the entrance of the US consulate in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan province.
AFP via Getty Images

Spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Thursday that US claims China is stealing intellectual property is "malicious slander".

He slammed the decision to shut China's consulate as "an outrageous and unjustified move that will sabotage relations between the two countries" and warned of firm countermeasures.

People attempt to talk to someone at the Chinese consulate in Houston on July 22, 2020
AFP /AFP via Getty Images

The US has an embassy in Beijing and consulates in five other mainland cities — Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang and Wuhan, while it also has a consulate in Hong Kong.

The closures came as the US Justice Department announced charges against a Chinese scientist it claims is being harboured by the country's consulate in San Francisco.

The researcher and three others are accused of lying on applications to work in the United States about their status as members of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which is part of the Chinese military.

The allegation comes amid rising tension between the US and China, particularly related to theft of intellectual property — including by Chinese researchers with military and government connections — for Beijing’s benefit.

The US has also charged two Chinese hackers with targeting firms working on vaccines for the coronavirus.

Trump administration officials have escalated their public condemnations of China in the last several weeks, with speeches by FBI director Chris Wray, Attorney General William Barr and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

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