Individuals in the China Consulate in Houston were filmed burning documents after being ordered shut down by the US government for accused efforts of espionage taking place there.
The Chicago Tribune reported this morning:
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The United States said Wednesday that it has ordered China to close its consulate in Houston “to protect American intellectual property” and the private information of Americans.
China strongly condemned the move, the latest in a series of steps by the Trump administration as it ratchets up pressure on the world’s second-largest economy over trade, technology, human rights and security.
Firefighters responded to reports of papers being burned on the consulate grounds Tuesday night but were barred entry, according to Houston news media reports.
The U.S., in a brief statement, did not provide any details on why the consulate in Texas was targeted.
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“The United States will not tolerate (China’s) violations of our sovereignty and intimidation of our people, just as we have not tolerated (its) unfair trade practices, theft of American jobs, and other egregious behavior,” said the statement, which was attributed to State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus.
The U.S. also said it would not reopen its consulate in the city of Wuhan, which was closed in late January at the height of the coronavirus outbreak in China, a Trump administration official said.
Video of the China Consulate in Houston was released showing what appears to be fires inside the Consulate reportedly shortly after the US ordered it closed.
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