The closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston threatens to spart a fresh diplomatic row between China and the US.
Ties between the two increasingly rival countries have deteriorated further in recent weeks as the US shuts down Chinese Houston consulate.
The State Department subsequently confirmed in a statement that it had ordered the consulate closed “to protect American intellectual property and Americans’ private information.”
The agency emphasized that international agreements required diplomats to respect the laws and regulations of the host nation and not interfere in its internal affairs.
A statement from State Department spokesperson, Morgan Ortagus said:
“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.”
However, Beijing threatened retaliation if the decision was not withdrawn.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin in a regular briefing on Wednesday in Beijing said that the U.S. government gave China three days to close its consulate in America’s fourth-most populous city in an “unprecedented escalation”.
“China strongly condemns such an outrageous and unjustified move which will sabotage China-U.S. relations, We urge the U.S. to immediately withdraw its erroneous decision. Otherwise China will make legitimate and necessary reactions.”
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