US demands China close Houston consulate

[Randy W]

from the SCMP

US demands China close Houston consulate; Beijing says it will retaliate

• China labels US demand as ‘unprecedented escalation’
• US media reported that Houston emergency services were called to reports that documents were being burned in the courtyard of the Consulate General in Houston

“This is a crazy move. The consulate general is the first Chinese CG in the United States. The US has not only asked to close it, but requested evacuation within three days. This is absolute madness. There is apparently no bottom line for some people in Washington. The current US administration is willing to do anything now,” Hu said.

Earlier on Wednesday, US media reported that Houston police and fire officials responded to reports that documents were being burned in the courtyard of the Consulate General of China in Houston on Tuesday night, citing the Houston Police Department.

. . .

The consular district covers eight southern US states, namely Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and an unincorporated territory, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

[Randy W]

from KPRC 2 in Houston

 

Videos show flames, activity in courtyard of Consulate General of China in Houston

 

 

 

“You could just smell the paper burning,” a witness at the scene told KPRC 2. “But, all the firefighters were just surrounding the building. They couldn’t go inside.”

 

 

[Randy W]

Apparently, the fires were started AFTER the consulate was given 72 hours to vacate.

[Randy W]

Morgan Ortagus, a spokeswoman for the State Department, said Washington ordered the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston “in order to protect American intellectual property” and the private information of U.S. citizens.

 

“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,” Ms. Ortagus said in a statement, using an abbreviation of the People’s Republic of China.

[True Blue]

if this escalates, expect China to force the closing of an American consolate in China in retaliation.

Edited July 22, 2020 by True Blue (see edit history)

[Randy W]

if this escalates, expect China to force the closing of an American consolate in China in retaliation.

 

e.g. Hong Kong or Shanghai. Hopefully NOT Guangzhou, but you never know.

 

Houston is being called a "massive spy center" by those who are supportive of the action.

[JohnXiaoying1]

Serious times indeed. The escalations are going to make it very hard for families. My wife has heard rumors that the US may put a stop to WeChat. Best to update Skype and have everyone's telephone numbers.

 

My wife was in China last September through December as her mother slowly passed away. She returned to the US just a few days before the announcement that there was a little bug going around in Wuhan. How lucky she was. Now people cannot be with family if there is illness or death.

 

Best wishes for everyone with family and friends in China.

[Randy W]

from the SCMP

 

US consulate in Chengdu prime target for China retaliation over Houston

• The strategically important diplomatic outpost will be closed by Chinese authorities, according to a source
• The move is payback for sudden shutdown of Beijing’s representative office in Houston

The US consulate in Chengdu opened in 1985 and is strategically important as it covers the country’s southwestern region, including the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Tibet autonomous region, and Chongqing.

 

The consulate became widely known when Wang Lijun, former police chief and vice mayor of Chongqing, travelled there on February 6, 2012, in an attempt to defect after falling out with former Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai.

 

 

[amberjack1234]

I think that this just confirms what we all knew was coming.

[Randy W]

An interesting question - how are they going to get them to leave what with diplomatic immunity?

 

China orders US consulate in Chengdu to close in diplomatic tit-for-tat

• Move follows Washington order to shut down Beijing’s diplomatic office in Houston amid accusations of espionage
• Lead Chinese consular official in Texas suggests orders to close by Friday may be ignored

Beijing’s move comes as its top diplomat in Houston suggested the order from the US government to shut down by Friday may be ignored. In an interview with Politico on Thursday, the Chinese consul general Cai Wei said his office would remain open “until further notice”.

 

 

 

 

[Randy W]

from the BBC. It's not clear what happens to diplomatic immunity here. China owns the consulate outright - that is, there is no "landlord".

Singapore man admits being Chinese spy in US


A US official guards the former Chinese consulate in Houston after doors were forced open on Friday afternoon

After a 72-hour deadline for Chinese diplomats to leave the Houston consulate expired on Friday at 16:00 (21:00 GMT) reporters saw men who appeared to be US officials force open a door to enter the premises. Uniformed staff from the US State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security took up position to guard the entrance.

The BBC had previously reported

Then on Tuesday, the US Department of Justice accused China of sponsoring hackers who had been targeting labs developing Covid-19 vaccines. Two Chinese nationals, who allegedly spied on US research companies and got help from state agents for other thefts, have been charged.

 

. . . but I'm not seeing that that was connected to the closing of the Houston consulate.

 

[Randy W]

Apparently, D.C.will take over the consulate's duties for now.

 

Services to overseas Chinese won't stop: Consul General in Houston

 

The Chinese government's communication with Southern US areas won't stop with the forced closure of the Consulate General in Houston as the Chinese Embassy in Washington will take over liaison and consular duties, Cai Wei, China's Consul General in Houston, said in an open letter the consulate released on Saturday, noting that no one can stop the bright prospect of China-US cooperation.

 

 

[eseum]

"Cai Wei, China's Consul General in Houston, said in an open letter the consulate released on Saturday, noting that no one can stop the bright prospect of China-US cooperation."

 

Yeah, I'm having to wear my "sunglasses at night" because of the bright glare from those prospects! Otherwise it keeps me awake all night.

[Randy W]

from FoxNews

 

US officials raid Chinese consulate in Houston believed to be spy hub

 

Federal officials and a locksmith pull on a door to make entry into the vacated Consulate General of China building Friday, July 24, 2020, in Houston. On Tuesday, the U.S. ordered the Houston consulate closed within 72 hours, alleging that Chinese agents had tried to steal data from facilities in Texas, including the Texas A&M medical system and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. (Godofredo Vasquez/Houston Chronicle via AP)

[Randy W]

from the SCMP on Facebook

 

US Consulate in Chengdu closed

 

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=309304303768280&id=355665009819

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/355665009819/posts/309304303768280/