US orders China to close consulate
THE US said it has ordered China to close its consulate in Houston “to protect American intellectual property” and the private information of Americans.
China condemned the move, which comes at a time of rising tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin called it “an outrageous and unjustified move that will sabotage relations between the two countries”.
He warned of firm countermeasures if the US does not reverse its decision, which he said the consulate was informed of on Tuesday.
“The unilateral closure of China’s consulate general in Houston within a short period of time is an unprecedented escalation of its recent actions against China,” Mr Wang said at a daily news briefing in Beijing.
Besides its embassy in Beijing, the US has five consulates in mainland China in Shanghai, Guangzhou,
Chengdu, Wuhan and Shenyang, according to its website.
Media reports in Houston said that authorities had responded to reports of a fire at the Chinese consulate and witnesses said that people were burning paper in what appeared to be rubbish bins, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Occupants were given until 4pm tomorrow to leave the property, the newspaper said.
The US did not provide any details on its allegations in a brief statement.
“The United States will not tolerate (China’s) violations of our sovereignty and intimidation of our people, just as we have not tolerated (its) unfair trade practices, theft of American jobs, and other egregious behaviour,” said the statement.
Mr Wang accused the US of opening Chinese diplomatic pouches without permission multiple times, confiscating Chinese items for official use and imposing restrictions on Chinese diplomats in the US last October and again in June.
He also said that US diplomats in China engage in infiltration activities. “If we compare the two, it is only too evident which is engaged in interference, infiltration and confrontation,” Mr Wang said.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has sought to paint a rosier picture of the coronavirus pandemic, but conceded the situation is likely to get worse for a time.
“It will probably unfortunately get worse before it gets better,” President Trump said from the White House, but he also touted a reduction in deaths and progress on vaccines and treatments for Covid-19, which Mr Trump referred to repeatedly as a the “China virus”.
He also continued his belated encouragement of Americans to wear masks when social distancing is not possible, saying: “Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact.”