China Orders US Consulate Closure As Countermeasure

China’s Foreign Ministry Friday ordered the U.S. to close its consulate in Chengdu City, in response to the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas.

RELATED:

China Condemns US Request To Close Its Consulate In Houston

Chinese authorities explained that this is a countermeasure to Washington’s unilateral and unjustified act and that the U.S. has till next Monday to close its mission.

China's move came hours after Washington ordered the closure of the Chinese consulate to "protect the intellectual property and private information" of the U.S.

Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi stated that this is a "legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable actions taken by the United States".

"The current situation between China and the United States is something China does not want to see, and the U.S. bears all responsibility for that," Yi said and stressed that the Trump Administration needs "to immediately retract its wrong decision" to put bilateral relations back on track.

According to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Chinese officials tried to steal intellectual property, including data from medical facilities in Texas.

"Today, China is increasingly authoritarian at home and more aggressive in its hostility to freedom everywhere else," Pompeo said.

"The free world must triumph over this new tyranny. They are stealing not just American intellectual property, but European intellectual property too, costing hundreds of thousands of jobs."