Chengdu, China: City of Pandas, Hackers, and Diplomatic Chaos

      Well, now, citizens of the universe.  The world is waking up to the new Chinese regime and its tactics.  It was announced in the US, that the Chinese Consulate in Houston, Texas will be closed by orders of the Executive branch.  It was identified as a center of Chinese government spying, technology theft, and student activities related to those efforts.  Visa fraud was also identified as an area of exceptionally high numbers of cases.   Houston is a center of US space technology, oil and gas research and production, and military bases.   This has been known for sometime and as is the practice, it is tolerated in an effort to understand not only the scope of Chinese efforts, but also style and competence of its practitioners.   Our Minister of East Asian Affairs agrees it is an ongoing problem: dealing with the Chinese in any manner.
      Dateline: Chengdu
         Chengdu is a very large(6+ million citizens) industrial center in Southwest China.  It is a doorstep to Tibet, and also an agricultural center situated on a broad basin surrounded by significant mountains.  This geography also contributes to another local problem:  some of the worst air pollution on the planet.  Often times during the winter months the city's AQI exceeds 250, and most all citizens wear masks whenever outside.   Visibility is often measured in kilometers.  The US Consulate had installed a measuring device after the Chinese government refused to report the actual figures.   The city is also a hub of educational effort with one of China's most prestigious medical schools.  It also is home to the Panda Reserve which is home to the famous bears recognized around the world.   The city escaped the devastating effects of the coronavirus that spread around the world from Wuhan, Hubei province.   In February, the US State Dept. evacuated most consular personnel from the site to protect their health.  All consular activities were then closed indefinitely.
     As announced yesterday, the Chinese Government ordered the US to close the Chengdu Consulate in retaliation for closing their consular offices in Houston, Texas.
And so it goes.
     On top of it all,  the US Dept. of Justice announced the indictment of 2 Chinese nationals operating out of Chengdu.   These 2 young men were hacking into US computer systems in various areas including universities research facilities, defense contractors, health companies, and supplying stolen trade secrets to the Chinese military.   They are believed to be in Chengdu and were unavailable for comment.

Chengdu resident