US consulate: China orders US consulate closure in tit-for-tat move

China has ordered the closure of the US consulate in the south-western city of Chengdu, in a tit-for-tat escalation between the two countries.

China said the move was a "necessary response" to the US, which ordered China to close its consulate in Houston earlier this week.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US decision was taken because China was "stealing" intellectual property.

Tensions have been rising between the US and China over several key issues.

President Donald 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.

China's move came hours after Pompeo hardened his tone further in a speech on Thursday at the library of former President Richard Nixon, whose 1972 China visit heralded a period of improved relations.

"Today, China is increasingly authoritarian at home, and more aggressive in its hostility to freedom everywhere else," Mr Pompeo said.

"The free world must triumph over this new tyranny."