The latest move on behalf of the State Department to close a Chinese consulate in Houston over intellectual property theft concerns should serve as a reminder that the Chinese “are not good actors” and demonstrates their contempt for “all the values we hold dear” . Representative Dan Crenshaw said Friday.
“What we know is that the Chinese have used consoles like this, and this could have been their main center, to participate in intellectual property [theft], piracy, influence operations, all of the above, “Crenshaw, R-Texas. told the” Fox News Rundown “podcast.
SUBSCRIBE AND DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS ROUTE
In a statement sent to Fox News, State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus confirmed the directive to close the consulate and said it was issued “to protect American intellectual property and the private information of Americans.”
Ortagus said the United States “will not tolerate the PRC’s violations of our sovereignty and intimidation of our people, just as we have not tolerated the PRC’s unfair business practices, theft of American jobs, and other egregious behavior.” President Trump insists on equity and reciprocity in the United States. -China Relations “.
According to Houston’s KPRC-TV, the documents were later burned inside the consulate courtyard on Tuesday night, although firefighters who responded to the scene were not allowed to enter. They also reported that the consulate was ordered to close Friday along with a complex where many consulate employees live, citing police sources.
Crenshaw praised the State Department for “taking action” and explained that “the burning of documents is what happens after the fact. Once you decide to close an embassy or a consulate like that, they are going to burn all the evidence and that’s it” . exactly what they did, “he said.
Crenshaw said the incident amplified the United States’ contentious relationship with China, an issue that remains at the center of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It is quite obvious that they are not innocent in all of this … the Chinese are not good actors, they have not been for a long time and the United States and the world are really realizing this after more than a decade of waiting for what better, “said Crenshaw.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
“We need to wake up and we must realize that they do not have the same values as most people around the world,” he added. “They do not have the same values of freedom, respect for human rights, democracy, free trade … they are acting completely irresponsibly and against all the values we hold dear.”
Julia Musto of Fox News contributed to this report.
