China already has diplomatic missions in three of the five cities slated for closure
The U.S. State Department notified Congress on Tuesday that it intends to close five consulates and missions in Canada, Japan, Indonesia, Cameroon and Grenada, a step the department said would cut costs after a review of bilateral relationships.
According to a notice sent to several congressional committees, the missions slated for closure are in Winnipeg, Canada; Nagoya, Japan; Medan, Indonesia; Douala, Cameroon; and St. George’s, Grenada. The facility in St. George’s, the capital of the Caribbean island, carries full embassy status, while the Douala office is defined as an “embassy branch office.”
The closures are the latest in a series of cutbacks overseen by Secretary of State Marco Rubio since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025. Last year the department fired more than 1,300 employees — including 246 foreign service officers and 1,107 civil servants — and more than half of the country’s 195 ambassadorial posts remain unfilled, according to the American Foreign Service Association. Among those without confirmed ambassadors are posts in Germany, Cuba, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the move risks leaving a diplomatic opening for China.
“China has a diplomatic presence in three of the five locations where the state department is closing shop and Beijing is going to exploit that new vacuum to undercut American interests,” Shaheen told reporters. She added, “The yearly operating costs of these diplomatic facilities represent a tiny fraction of the state department’s yearly budget. Is that worth pulling back from these places where China is present?”
China maintains consulates or missions in St. George’s, Nagoya and Medan, but has no diplomatic office in Winnipeg or Douala.
The decision to close the Winnipeg consulate has drawn particular criticism in Canada, where Trump recently announced 50 percent tariffs on a range of goods. The post, which opened in 2001, has helped facilitate trade and investment with the province of Manitoba.
Brad Kirbyson, a former political specialist who worked at the consulate for 20 years, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that the closure could harm U.S. interests. “I’m sure it’ll save them a few dollars, but I think the net effect is to lose touch with a broad swath of Canada by not having a presence there,” he said. “The United States found that it was a very long way between the US consulate in Calgary and the [one] in Toronto. It makes a lot of sense to have a consulate in the middle of the country that can cover issues in this part of the world.”
A spokesperson for the Canadian embassy in Washington said, “Canada and the US have a long history of collaboration on areas of shared interest, including through our foreign offices in both countries.”
A State Department spokesperson said the department is “committed to following congressional notification procedures including post closures” and added, “We have nothing further to report at this time. … We are focused on ensuring our diplomatic footprint is efficient, effective and delivers results for the American people.”
The White House Office of Management and Budget has argued for a much more extensive closure program of up to 30 foreign missions, according to the notice. Democrats, backed by some national security and foreign policy specialists, have countered that such moves, combined with last year’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, would dangerously shrink the country’s diplomatic footprint and global influence.