China has ordered the United States to close its consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu.

The move comes as a retaliation against Washington’s decision earlier this week to shut down the Chinese consulate in the city of Houston.

The Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement  on Friday the Chengdu mission’s closure was a “legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable measures by the United States”.

“The current situation in China-US relations is not what China desires to see. The US is responsible for all this”.

“We once again urge the United States to immediately retract its wrong decision and create necessary conditions for bringing the bilateral relationship back on track.”

Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of the Communist Party-owned Global Times newspaper, said the notice period was 72 hours. “It means US Chengdu consulate will be closed Monday morning,” he wrote on Twitter.

On Tuesday, Washington gave Beijing 72 hours to close its mission in Houston, Texas, alleging the theft of intellectual property and espionage.

Tensions have been rising between the US and China over several key issues. President Trump’s administration has clashed repeatedly with Beijing over trade and the coronavirus pandemic as well as China’s imposition of a controversial new security law in Hong Kong.