BEIJING / WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States told China to close its consulate in Houston, the two countries said on Wednesday, further deteriorating bilateral relations, and a source said Beijing was considering closing the US consulate in Wuhan in reprisal.
Fire trucks are seen outside the Chinese consulate, where local media reported that document-filled trash cans are being burned in the yard, in Houston, Texas, USA, July 21, 2020, in this still image taken from the video obtained from social networks. Video taken on July 21, 2020. Mandatory credit Ronald Cline / via REUTERS
Washington “abruptly demanded” the closure of the Houston consulate on Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said. The editor of an official media outlet said China had been given 72 hours to do so.
Beijing condemned the order and threatened retaliation, but did not say what steps it could take.
The State Department confirmed the decision and said the move was made “to protect the intellectual property and private information of Americans.”
On a visit to Denmark, the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, did not offer details, but repeated the accusations about the Chinese theft of American and European intellectual property, which he said cost “hundreds of thousands of jobs.”
“President Trump has said enough, we are not going to allow this to continue to happen,” he said at a press conference.
“We are setting clear expectations about how the Chinese Communist Party will behave. And when they don’t, we will take steps to protect the American people, protect our national security, and also protect our economy and our jobs.
“Those are the actions that you are seeing taken by President Trump, we will continue to participate in this,” Pompeo said.
Ties between the United States and China have worsened markedly this year due to a number of issues, from novelty manufacturer of coronavirus and telecommunications equipment Huawei to China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and its imposition of a new law. security in Hong Kong.
The deterioration comes in the run-up to the November presidential election in the United States, in which President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden appear to be competing for who may seem tougher in response to China.
Late Tuesday in Houston, local media reported that the documents had been burned in a courtyard at the consulate. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the consulate was operating normally and declined to comment further on those reports.
“The United States will not tolerate the PRC’s violations of our sovereignty and intimidation of our people, nor have we tolerated the PRC’s unfair business practices, theft of American jobs and other egregious behavior,” said the State Department spokeswoman. Morgan Ortagus in a statement. statement, using an acronym for the official name of China, the People’s Republic of China.
RETALIATION THREAT
It was not immediately clear why the Houston consulate in China had been selected.
“The unilateral closure of the Chinese consulate general in Houston in a short period of time is an unprecedented escalation of its recent actions against China,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a press conference.
“We urge the United States to immediately reverse this wrong decision. If it insists on following this wrong path, China will react with firm countermeasures.”
Wang said the United States government had been harassing Chinese diplomats and consular personnel for some time and “intimidating and questioning Chinese students and confiscating their personal electrical devices, including arresting them.”
He said the United States had interfered with China’s diplomatic missions, including the interception of diplomatic exchanges and the confiscation of Chinese items for “official use.” It did not specify whether the actions were related to the Houston consulate.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Chinese charges.
A source with direct knowledge of the matter said China was considering closing the U.S. consulate in Wuhan, where the State Department withdrew staff and their families earlier this year amid the coronavirus outbreak that first emerged in the central city.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it would close the consulate.
Last month, the US embassy in Beijing said the United States would soon resume operations at the Wuhan consulate.
Reports by Cate Cadell and the Beijing newsroom; additional reports from Nikolaj Skydsgaard in Copenhagen, David Brunnstrom in Washington and Rama Venkat in Bangalore; Written by Huizhong Wu, Tony Munroe, and David Brunnstrom; Louise Heavens, Robert Birsel and Bernadette Baum edition
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