US to close five consulates around the world

The US State Department has decided to close five foreign consulates and missions in Asia, Africa, North America and the Caribbean. The move has sparked criticism that the United States is leaving a diplomatic vacuum that could be filled by China, The Guardian reports.

The move is being explained by cost-cutting measures, according to a notification to Congress. It also follows Donald Trump's reassessment of US bilateral relations with a number of countries since he returned to the White House in January 2025.

The missions to be closed are consulates in St. George's (Grenada), Nagoya (Japan), Medan (Indonesia), Douala (Cameroon) and Winnipeg (Canada).

The closures are a continuation of the process of reducing the US State Department's activities under the leadership of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In 2025, the department laid off more than 1,300 employees, including 246 foreign service officers and 1,107 civil servants.

According to the American Foreign Service Association, more than half of the 195 U.S. embassy positions around the world remain vacant, including in key locations such as Germany, Cuba, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

Democrats have criticized the latest planned closures, saying they risk giving China an opening. “China has a diplomatic presence in three of the five locations the State Department is closing,” said Jean Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “Beijing will exploit this new vacuum to undermine American interests.”

He added: “The annual operating costs of these diplomatic facilities are a very small fraction of the annual budget of the State Department. Is it worth withdrawing from these places where China has a presence?”

The decision to close the consulate in Winnipeg has also drawn criticism in Canada. Trump recently announced that he would impose a 50 percent tariff on a number of goods imported from Canada.

The Winnipeg consulate, which opened in 2001, mainly serves to facilitate trade and investment issues related to the province of Manitoba, of which Winnipeg is the capital.

China does not have a diplomatic mission in Winnipeg. However, the country has representations in St. George’s, Nagoya and Medan. The U.S. mission in St. George’s, the capital of the Caribbean island of Grenada, has full embassy status, while the facility in Douala is designated as a “branch embassy.”

Meanwhile, the White House Office of Management and Budget has proposed a broader program to close up to 30 foreign missions. Democrats, backed by national security and foreign policy experts, argue that such steps would dangerously reduce US diplomatic presence and global influence.