U.S. gives China 72 hours to shut Houston consulate as spying charges mount

[Yankee-stani]

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the US asked it to close down its consulate in Houston, Texas. Beijing condemned the move, promising retaliation if the decision is not reversed.
The abrupt demand to shut down the consulate is an “unprecedented escalation” of hostilities, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters. He warned that Beijing will retaliate if the US does not reverse its decision.

Wang Wenbin slammed the order to close the consulate as a “political provocation” and “a serious violation of international law.”

China urges the US to immediately revoke this wrong decision. Otherwise, China will make proper and necessary response.

Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of China’s Global Times newspaper, tweeted that Beijing was given 72 hours to vacate the consulate building. “This is a crazy move,” he wrote.

The Chinese spokesperson rejected the recent claim by the US Justice Department that Chinese hackers have tried to steal data on Covid-19 vaccine development. The US must “immediately stop its slander and smearing of China on cyber security issues,” he told the journalists.

US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said the move against the consulate was made to ensure the protection of American intellectual property and persona data of US citizens.

ALSO ON RT.COMUS indicts two ‘state-backed Chinese hackers’ for stealing military secrets & coronavirus data
US-China relations have been deteriorating rapidly in recent weeks. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed a bill authorizing sanctions on China over its policies in Hong Kong. The US Treasury also sanctioned several high-ranking Chinese officials over Beijing’s treatment of Uyghurs, an ethnic minority in China’s northwestern Xinjiang region.

Beijing responded in kind by sanctioning several prominent American politicians, including Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. China has stated that the sanctions are illegal and constitute meddling in its domestic affairs.
https://www.rt.com/news/495464-us-china-close-consulate-houston/

 

[Viet]

(Reuters) - The United States has told China to close its consulate in Houston, both countries said on Wednesday, deepening a deterioration in bilateral relations, and a source said Beijing was considering shutting down the U.S. consulate in Wuhan.

Washington had "abruptly demanded" closure of the Houston consulate on Tuesday, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said, and the editor of an official media outlet said on Twitter that China had been given 72 hours to do so.

Beijing condemned the order and threatened retaliation, but did not say what measures it might take.


Late on Tuesday in Houston, local media reported that documents had been burned in a courtyard at the consulate building. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the consulate was operating normally, declining to comment further on those reports.

Ties between the United States and China have worsened sharply this year over a range of issues, from the novel coronavirus and telecoms gear maker Huawei to China's territorial claims in the South China Sea and its imposition of a national security law on Hong Kong.

The U.S. Department of State confirmed the Houston closure decision.

The move was made "in order to protect American intellectual property and American's private information", State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.

"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 trade practices, theft of American jobs, and other egregious behavior," she added, using an acronym for China's official name, the People's Republic of China.


It was not immediately clear why China's Houston consulate had been singled out.

"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," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular news briefing.

"We urge the U.S. to immediately revoke this erroneous decision. Should it insist on going down this wrong path, China will react with firm countermeasures," he said.

The U.S. government had been harassing Chinese diplomats and consular staff for some time, Wang said, and "intimidating and interrogating Chinese students and confiscating their personal electrical devices, even detaining them".

He said the United States had interfered with China's diplomatic missions, including intercepting diplomatic pouches and confiscating Chinese items for "official use". He did not specify whether the actions were related to the Houston consulate.


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 early this year amid the coranavirus outbreak that first emerged in the central city.

It was not immediately clear what other measures China may consider.

China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it would shut the consulate.

The U.S. embassy in Beijing referred a query to the State Department. Last month, it had said that the United States would soon resume operations at the Wuhan consulate.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-calls-unprecedented-escalation-idUSKCN24N0UW


Excellent news!

Our chinese friends now taste the feeling of how being bullied by a bigger hooligan.

Not a problem though. They can sell the property to our people in Houston. We will make it to nail salon or pho resto.

 

[Ashraf. M]

Let it escalate, China will suffer more, its exports will be reduced, factories will over stock and unemployment will increase, EU soon will follow suit, otherwill India, Japan, Aus, NZ.. only PAK and CPEC wild dreams will remain.

 

[xuxu1457]

It seems that the trade war is running out of bullets, and only a less damaging diplomatic battle can boost Trump's election.

 

[mike2000 is back]

problem though. They can sell the property to our people in Houston. We will make it to nail salon or pho resto.

Ahahahha that was funny.

 

[Indos]

China should shut US HK consulate. This is APAC CIA HQ, of thousands of spies.

China will close US consulate in Wuhan. It is what I watched minutes ago from AJ

 

[fallstuff]

Let it escalate, China will suffer more, its exports will be reduced, factories will over stock and unemployment will increase, EU soon will follow suit, otherwill India, Japan, Aus, NZ.. only PAK and CPEC wild dreams will remain.

How will this help Indians putting food on table ?

 

[vi-va]

All those farce are for Trump reelection. China will try our best to Make America Great Again.
Trump 2020
Trump 2024
Trump 2028
Trump forever

 

[Feng Leng]

This shows something dramatic happened this month when the US Navy conducted two weeks of dual aircraft carrier battlegroup exercise in the South China Sea to try to wrest away control of Scarborough Shoal from China. China held dual aircraft carrier battlegroup exercises and live fire anti-ship attack exercises in defense of Scarborough Shoal. Today, China remains in control of Scarborough Shoal. Now the Americans are frustrated and throwing a tantrum.

 

[Zapper]

Fire at Chinese consulate in Houston after US ordered it to close

 

[S10]

I think this is a good opportunity to close the American consulate in Hong Kong. There is absolutely zero reason why they have close to 2,000 staff in that building other than intelligence gathering and stirring up trouble.

Closing the Wuhan consulate won't be enough, since Americans voluntarily left.

 

[大汉奸柳传志]

Totally uncalled for.

not allowing US diplomats to go back to China was a public health decision, not a political one. somehow the US thinks it should retaliate.

I think the Americans could use a subtle reminder from time to time that they are now considered biohazards.

(that is also the reason why we gave Indians a good beat up on Jun 15th I think..)

 

[mmr]

Let it escalate, China will suffer more, its exports will be reduced, factories will over stock and unemployment will increase, EU soon will follow suit, otherwill India, Japan, Aus, NZ.. only PAK and CPEC wild dreams will remain.

India is suffering with double digit economy decline.

China will be fine.

Trump doing drama to win the election once he is elected he will sign trade deal with china to prop up the us economy and stock market. India will be thrown under the bus.

 

[mmr]

All those farce are for Trump reelection. China will try our best to Make America Great Again.
Trump 2020
Trump 2024
Trump 2028
Trump forever

lol if trump lose election he said he wont leave white house.

 

[vi-va]

lol if trump lose election he said he wont leave white house.

popcorn ready