US closing five consulates as China vacuum fears mount
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- The US State Department will close missions in St George's (Grenada), Nagoya (Japan), Medan (Indonesia), Douala (Cameroon), and Winnipeg (Canada), following a reassessment of bilateral relationships since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
- Marco Rubio, secretary of state, is overseeing the cutbacks that include last year's firing of 1,300+ employees — 246 foreign service officers and 1,107 civil servants.
- More than half of the US's 195 ambassadorial posts remain unfilled, including Germany, Cuba, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, according to the American Foreign Service Association.
- Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), top Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, warned that "China has a diplomatic presence in three of the five locations where the state department is closing shop."
- The Winnipeg consulate, opened in 2001 to handle Manitoba trade and investment, was defended by former 20-year employee Brad Kirbyson, who said closure leaves a vast gap between US consulates in Calgary and Toronto.
- The White House's Office of Management and Budget has pushed for closures of up to 30 foreign missions, with Democrats arguing the cuts — combined with last year's USAID dismantling — will dangerously erode US global influence.
Why it matters: With over half of US ambassadorial posts already unfilled and the State Department shedding 1,300+ staff, five more closures — three in cities where China maintains a diplomatic presence — shrink America's footprint in Grenada, Japan, and Indonesia while OMB pushes to close up to 30 more missions.
