China informed the United States on Friday to close its consulate general in Chengdu,
capital of Sichuan province, a move that officials in Beijing said they took in response to the US a
dministration's decision
to abruptly order the shutdown of China's consulate in Houston, Texas.
The diplomatic move represents a further deterioration in China-US relations as experts warned that
Washington is clinging to a Cold War mentality as it attempts to contain China in an all-around way.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Friday that the measure taken by China
is a legitimate and necessary response to the unjustified act of the United States.
"It conforms with international law, the basic norms of international relations and customary diplom
atic practices," the statement said.
"The current situation in China-US relations is not what China desires to see, and the US is respons
ible for all this.
We once again urge the US to immediately reverse its wrong decision and create necessary conditions
for
bringing the bilateral relationship back on track," the statement added.