US State Department Shuts 5 Missions as Critics Warn China Could Fill Vacuum
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 5
US State Department Shuts 5 Missions as Critics Warn China Could Fill Vacuum
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 5
Summary
Five US missions in Grenada, Japan, Indonesia, Cameroon and Canada are being closed after Congress was formally notified, extending the State Department’s latest diplomatic retrenchment.
Cost cutting and a review of bilateral ties under Donald Trump’s second term are driving the move, which follows last year’s dismissal of more than 1,300 department employees.
China already has a diplomatic presence in St George’s, Nagoya and Medan, prompting Senate Democrat Jeanne Shaheen to argue the savings are too small to justify ceding ground to Beijing.
Winnipeg has drawn separate criticism in Canada, where the consulate has handled Manitoba trade issues and its closure comes after Trump imposed 50% tariffs on some Canadian goods.
The five closures add to wider concerns over US global reach: more than half of 195 ambassadorial posts remain unfilled, and budget officials have floated shutting as many as 30 missions.