ANKARA:
China ordered the US Friday to close its consulate in the southwestern Sichuan province.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that they informed the US Embassy in Beijing of its decision to withdraw its consent for the establishment and operation of the US Consulate General in Chengdu.
"The ministry also made specific requirements on ceasing all operations and events by the Consulate General," said the ministry.
The move came in retaliation after the US decision to close a Chinese Consulate in Houston, Texas.
"The US move seriously breached the international law, the basic norms of international relations, and the terms of the China-US Consular Convention. It gravely harmed China-US relations," the statement added.
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"The measure taken by China is a legitimate and necessary response to the unjustified act by the US. It conforms with international law, the basic norms of international relations, and customary diplomatic practices," it added.
The current situation in China-US relations is not what Beijing desires to see, and Washington is responsible for all this, it further said.
Beijing urged the Washington to immediately retract its decision and create necessary conditions for bringing the bilateral relationship back on track.
On Wednesday, the US State Department shut down the Chinese Consulate in Houston and said the decision was made "in order to protect American intellectual property and American's private information.
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