Ministry: Request to close US consulate necessary response

Some personnel in the US consulate general in Chengdu have engaged in activities which are out of line with their identities to interfere in China's domestic affairs and undermine China's security interests, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Friday.

The US is "well aware" of the issue, over which China has lodged representations, Wang said at a daily news conference after the ministry told the US earlier that day to close the consulate.

The US launched a unilateral provocation on Tuesday by abruptly demanding that China close its consulate general in Houston, and China's request to close the US consulate general in Chengdu is a legitimate and necessary response, the ministry said in a statement.

"The current situation in China-US relations is not what China desires to see, and the US is responsible for all this," Wang said, urging the US to revoke its order to close China's consulate general in Houston and create necessary conditions for bilateral ties to get back on track.