US ORDERS CHINA TO SHUT DOWN HOUSTON CONSULATE

nBEIJING: The US has asked China to shut down its consulate in Houston to “protect American intellectual property”, prompting a livid Beijing to warn it will do the same for the US mission in the city of Wuhan.

China said it was an “unprecedented escalation” in Washington’s recent actions and warned of “legitimate and necessary” response against the decision.

The US move adds to rapidly deteriorating bilateral ties over South China Sea disputes, the Hong Kong security bill, US arms sales to Taiwan, the condition of minorities in Xinjiang, and the origin of the coronavirus besides an ongoing trade war.

Hu Xijin, the editor of the Chinese Communist Party’s Global Times newspaper, said Washington had given 72 hours to Beijing to close down the Houston consulate.

The US state department confirmed the Houston closure decision. The move was made “in order to protect American intellectual property and private information”, spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said.

In Beijing, the Chinese foreign ministry said, “It is a political provocation... which seriously violates international law.”

UK CITIZENSHIP FOR HONG KONGERS IN JAN

LONDON: The Britis government announced on Wednesday that it will open a new special pathway to obtaining UK citizenship for eligible Hong Kongers as of January.

In a statement, the home office said holders of the British National Overseas passport and their immediate family members can move to the UK to work and study.

The change to immigration rules was introduced after Beijing imposed a new, sweeping national security law on Hong Kong.