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China shuts American Chamber of Commerce in Chengdu
The move came as Beijing has been at odds with Washington over several issues, including its alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang, the crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong, and issues related to Taiwan and the South China Sea.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (right) speaks while facing Yang Jiechi (left), director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office, and Wang Yi (2nd left), China's Foreign Minister, at the opening session of US-China talks at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska on March 18, 2021. (Agence France Presse/Frederic J. Brown)
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hinese authorities have instructed an American Chamber of Commerce in the country's southwestern city of Chengdu to cease operations, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing officials of the organization.
The move came as Beijing has been at odds with Washington over several issues, including its alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang, the crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong, and issues related to Taiwan and the South China Sea.
The chamber notified members on Monday that, in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations, it had to stop operations and "no longer carry out any activities in the name of the American Chamber of Commerce in Southwest China," Reuters said.
The organization, which promotes trade and investment between the United States and the region, has not provided a specific reason why it has been told to cease operations. Its website has been closed.
Read also: ASEAN must be in regional ‘driver’s seat’ amid US-China tensions
Chinese authorities appear to be enforcing a rule that nations maintain only one official chamber of commerce in the country, according to Reuters.
In July 2020, the United States shut its consulate general in Chengdu, following an escalation of tensions over Beijing's alleged spying activities that led Washington to order the closure of China's equivalent liaison office in Houston.
