A group of men who appeared to be American officials were seen forcing a back door open at the Chinese consulate in Houston when a U.S. closing order went into effect at 4 p.m. Friday.
Previously the same group of men were seen closing a door on the other side of the building. After the men entered, two uniformed members of the US State Department’s diplomatic security office arrived to guard the door. They also did not respond to questions. A Reuters witness saw consulate staff leave the building shortly after 4 p.m. and leave in vehicles before the back door opened.
About 100 Chinese activists gathered at the consulate on Friday shouting slogans denouncing communism and annoying staff. Protesters cheered as a trailer truck surrounded the building with giant signs saying “Freedom from Communism” and “God bless the United States.”
Some protesters held up American flags as they watched workers load belongings from the five-story building into trucks.
China on Friday ordered the United States to close its consulate in Chengdu in response to the expulsion of the Houston mission.
Mike Pompeo, the United States Secretary of State, said the consulate had been “a center for espionage and theft of intellectual property” and that Washington and its allies must use “more creative and assertive ways” to pressure the Chinese Communist Party to to change their ways.
The Donald Trump administration said the closure of the consulate was aimed at protecting American intellectual property and personal information.
In a related case, a senior US Justice Department official said a Chinese investigator who fled to the Chinese consulate in San Francisco was taken into US custody on Thursday. He said Juan Tang was part of a network of associates who were hiding their military affiliation by applying for visas.
With Reuters
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