Huge crowds gathered near the U.S. consulate in Chengdu, China, over the weekend as American officials packed boxes and prepared to move out ahead of Monday’s deadline to evacuate.
Regional media reported that thousands of onlookers watched as U.S. officials vacated the premises with boxes and files in their hands, while buses and trucks moved in and out of the compound. The rapid closure of the consulate reportedly drew spectators from hours away and by Sunday had become something of a tourist attraction.
In addition to the live crowds, China Central Television reportedly has been running a live feed from outside the Chengdu consulate.
Chinese officials last Friday ordered the consulate to close, setting a Monday morning deadline. The move was direct retaliation against the Trump administration, which days earlier ordered the Chinese consulate in Houston to close after officials claimed it had been at the center of a major Beijing spying operation. Chinese officials said the Chengdu order was a “legitimate and necessary response to the unjustified act by the United States.”
The move comes amid rapidly escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing and quickly deteriorating diplomatic relations between the countries. The Trump administration in recent weeks has taken a markedly tougher stance against China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, a strategically vital region for Beijing’s military and economic ambitions.
Top administration officials over the weekend made clear the U.S. will continue to protect international waters, suggesting that tensions between the nations will only rise higher in coming weeks.
“The United States’ policy is crystal clear: The South China Sea is not China’s maritime empire,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a Twitter post Saturday. “If Beijing violates international law and free nations do nothing, history shows the [Chinese Community Party] will simply take more territory. China Sea disputes must be resolved through international law.”
