China takes control of US consulate building

A worker removes the wall plaque at the Chengdu consulate. Pic/AFP

China on Monday said it took control of the US consulate in Chengdu after it was formally closed.

"At 10 am, July 27, as required by the Chinese side, the US Consulate General in Chengdu was closed," a press release by Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday. "China's competent authorities then entered through the front entrance and took over the premises," it said.

In the more than 40 years since China and the US established formal diplomatic relations, accusations have been traded, tensions have risen and fallen and the two sides have come dangerously close to outright confrontation.

Mistrust and rancour surrounding disputes over alleged technology theft, national security, human rights, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the South China Sea are now the main drivers in the ties.

Going forward, the prospects for reconciliation look dim, even if the US elects a new administration in November.

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