U.S. State Department Orders China To Close Consulate In Houston, Texas

The U.S. State Department ordered China to close its consulate in Houston Wednesday, prompting threats from China to take retaliatory action if Washington does not reverse its decision.

The U.S. gave China three days to close the consulate.

The order arrived only one day after the U.S. Justice Department indicted two Chinese hackers for trying to steal research of a coronavirus vaccine.

Morgan Ortagus, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said the order to close the consulate arose as a means to protect American intellectual property as well as the private information of its citizens.

Ortagus noted that under terms of the Vienna Convention, diplomats must “respect the laws and regulations of the receiving state” and “have a duty not to interfere in the internal affairs of that state.”

"The United States will not tolerate [China’s] violations of our sovereignty and intimidation of our people, just as we have not tolerated [China’s] unfair trade practices, theft of American jobs, and other egregious behavior," Ortagus added.

Beijing immediately condemned the U.S. directive.

“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,” said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin. "Should [the U.S.] insist on going down this wrong path, China will react with firm countermeasures."

KPRC, an NBC News station in Houston, secured video that appeared to depict a small fire burning in the consulate’s courtyard on Tuesday night. Houston media speculated the consulate workers were burning documents.

However, Houston fire crews were denied access into the building and remained outside the property until they determined there was no danger to the occupants.

Beijing also claimed that the U.S. had confiscated and opened Chinese diplomatic mail pouches in October and June – a violation of the Vienna treaty.

"If we compare the two [countries], it is only too evident which is engaged in interference, infiltration and confrontation," Wang Wenbin added.

The Chinese-government controlled Global Times newspaper tweeted that: “Closing China's consulate in Houston shows the Trump administration's anxiety and wild-card diplomacy. China hawks in the White House will further provoke China, jeopardizing bilateral ties.”