Randy W Posted July 22, 2020 Report Share Posted July 22, 2020 from the SCMP US demands China close Houston consulate; Beijing says it will retaliateChina 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. Link to comment
Randy W Posted July 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2020 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.” Link to comment
Randy W Posted July 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2020 Apparently, the fires were started AFTER the consulate was given 72 hours to vacate. Link to comment
Randy W Posted July 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2020 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. Link to comment
True Blue Posted July 22, 2020 Report Share Posted July 22, 2020 (edited) 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) Link to comment
Randy W Posted July 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2020 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. Link to comment
JohnXiaoying1 Posted July 22, 2020 Report Share Posted July 22, 2020 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. 2 Link to comment
Randy W Posted July 23, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2020 from the SCMP US consulate in Chengdu prime target for China retaliation over HoustonThe strategically important diplomatic outpost will be closed by Chinese authorities, according to a sourceThe move is payback for sudden shutdown of Beijing’s representative office in HoustonThe 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. Link to comment
amberjack1234 Posted July 23, 2020 Report Share Posted July 23, 2020 I think that this just confirms what we all knew was coming. Link to comment
Randy W Posted July 24, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2020 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-tatMove follows Washington order to shut down Beijing’s diplomatic office in Houston amid accusations of espionageLead Chinese consular official in Texas suggests orders to close by Friday may be ignoredBeijing’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”. Link to comment
Randy W Posted July 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2020 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. Link to comment
Randy W Posted July 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2020 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. Link to comment
eseum Posted July 26, 2020 Report Share Posted July 26, 2020 "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. Link to comment
Randy W Posted July 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2020 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) Link to comment
Randy W Posted July 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2020 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/ Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now