1) Tibet is lost and there is nothing a consulate in Chengdu can do about that. One reason Tibet is lost is the failure, over the last forty years, of western governments and businessmen to press the CCP for something approaching real autonomy in Tibet for fear of being denied access to the Chinese market. Sound familiar? We abandoned principle for money and got none of the former and little of the latter.

2) The only reason there are US consulates in the tier 2 cities is to grease the visa machine; that is, to make it as easy as possible for Chinese businessmen and students to get US visas. If this were not the case , the CCP would insist on a strict quid pro quo to avoid losing face. The CCP want as little “public diplomacy” or “on the ground reporting” as possible.