The United States said Wednesday that it ordered China to close its consulate in Houston “to protect American intellectual property” and the private information of Americans. China strongly condemned the measure, the latest in a series of steps by the Trump administration, as it increases pressure on the world’s second largest economy on trade, technology, human rights and security.
Firefighters responded to reports that documents were burned on the consulate grounds Tuesday night, but were barred from entering, according to CBS affiliate KHOU-TV.
David J. Phillip / AP
The United States, in a brief statement, did not provide details on why the Texas consulate was attacked.
“The United States will not tolerate (China’s) violations of our sovereignty and intimidation of our people, nor have we tolerated (its) unfair business practices, theft of American jobs and other egregious behavior,” the statement said, which was blamed. to State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters during a joint press conference with Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod that the United States is “setting clear expectations on how the Chinese Communist Party will behave.”
“When they don’t, we will take measures that protect the American people, our security, our national security and also our economy and jobs,” he said when asked about the closure of the consulate.
Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, who was recently banned from china In retaliation for US sanctions on party officials for the country’s treatment of Muslim minority groups, he tweeted that the consulate “is not a diplomatic facility.”
“It is the central node of the vast network of spies and influence operations of the Communist Party in the United States. Now that building must be closed and the spies have 72 hours to leave or face arrest,” Rubio wrote. “This had to happen.”
The consulate was informed of the decision on Tuesday, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, calling it “a scandalous and unjustified action that will sabotage relations between the two countries.”
“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,” Wang said at a daily press conference in Beijing.
He warned of firm countermeasures if the United States does not reverse itself. In addition to its embassy in Beijing, the United States has five consulates in mainland China, according to its website. They are in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Wuhan, and Shenyang.
The Reuters news agency quotes a source with direct knowledge of the matter as saying on Wednesday that Beijing is considering retaliating by ordering Washington to close its consulate in Wuhan. CBS News correspondent Margaret Brennan says the consulate has not fully reopened after the shutdown due to the coronavirus outbreak. The pandemic originated in that central Chinese city.
KHOU-TV reports that authorities responded to reports of a fire at the Chinese Consulate. Witnesses said people were burning paper in what appeared to be trash cans, the Houston Chronicle reported, citing police.
Police were informed that the occupants were given until 4 pm Friday to leave the property, the Chronicle said.
Houston police said in a tweet that officers responded to the call for “an encounter with the firefighter” at the Chinese Consulate building at 3417 Montrose Blvd. The tweet said smoke was observed in an outdoor patio area. , and that officers were not allowed to enter the building.
Wang accused the United States of opening Chinese diplomatic exchanges without permission multiple times, confiscating Chinese items for official use and imposing restrictions on Chinese diplomats in the United States last October and again in June. She also said that US diplomats in China participate in infiltration activities.
“If we compare the two, it is too obvious which one is involved in interference, infiltration and confrontation,” said Wang.
He also said that the Chinese embassy in Washington received bomb and death threats, and accused the United States government of stoking hatred against China.
President Trump, his reelection prospects damaged by the coronavirus outbreak, has repeatedly blamed China for the pandemic. Almost every day there is a new action by the United States against what Trump has called the exploitation of America by the rising Asian superpower.
As early as this week, the Commerce Department has sanctioned 11 Chinese companies for alleged human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region, and the Justice Department said two Chinese stole intellectual property and attacked companies developing coronavirus vaccines.
Pompeo is expected to continue the attacks Thursday in a speech on US-China relations at the Nixon Library in California.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said relations between the United States and China faced their most severe challenge since diplomatic ties were established in 1979, recently asked if the two nations could stay on track after a more than four decades.
There are five Chinese consulates in the United States, as well as an embassy in Washington.
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