CHENGDU, China — After 35 years, the U.S.’s official presence in China’s Chengdu ended on Monday with the lowering of the American flag over the consulate in the southwestern city.
China took over the premises of the consulate in retaliation for a U.S. order to close the Chinese consulate in Houston last week. The move comes after months of escalating tensions between Beijing and Washington over a range of issues, including trade, technology, security and human rights.
The American flag was taken down at 6:18 a.m. local time (6:18 p.m. ET), state broadcaster CCTV reported.
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