China tells US to close Chengdu consulate in growing spat

Summary: Following the Trump administration's order for China to close its Houston consulate, China makes a similar request. The US has been ordered to close the consulate in Chengdu, a city in western China. China had first attempted to get the decision reversed before retaliating.

“The measure taken by China is a legitimate and necessary response to the unjustified act by the United States,” said a foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin.

“The current situation in Chinese-U.S. relations is not what China desires to see. The United States is responsible for all this,” Wang said.

This is another set of blows to an already tense relationship, Trump has stated his belief that Chinese agents are stealing US medical data, and other intellectual property.

Recent Developments: Global views of China and Xi improve, while they decline about the US and Trump, survey says

A Pew Research survey shows that the difference between the global opinions on China and the United States are shrinking. While the US was considered better specifically on human rights policies, China has gained favorability narrowing the US lead.

In its latest survey of 24 countries, Pew found that the U.S. was viewed more favorably than China in eight countries, China was viewed more favorably in seven, and the two were viewed about equally in the remainder.

Conclusion: The US has long had its relationships with other countries defined primarily by trade. Unfortunately for them, China's manufacturing and consumption have grown massively making them a major player in global trade. There was a time where the United States could throw its weight around in negotiations, but "Take it or leave it" deals don't work as well when "leave it" becomes a viable option.