The American flag was lowered at the United States Consulate in Chengdu on Monday, days after Beijing ordered it to be closed in retaliation for the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston.
Images from the state television channel CCTV from outside the consulate showed that the flag was lowered slowly on Monday morning, after diplomatic tensions soared between the two powers, claiming that the other had endangered national security. .
Relations deteriorated in recent weeks in a Cold War-style confrontation, and the Chengdu mission was ordered Friday to close in retaliation for the forced closure of the Beijing consulate in Houston, Texas.
The deadline for Americans to leave Chengdu has not been clear, but the Chinese consulate in Houston had 72 hours to close after the original order was made.
On Saturday, AFP reporters saw workers remove the American insignia from the front of the consulate.
Over the weekend, moving trucks entered the US consulate and cleaners were seen carrying large black garbage bags from the building.
Beijing says closing the Chengdu consulate was a "legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable steps of the United States," and has alleged that staff at the diplomatic mission jeopardized China's security and interests.
Meanwhile, Washington officials said the Chinese consulate in Houston had made unacceptable efforts to steal American corporate secrets.
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