US Orders China To Close Houston Consulate

China has been told by the US it has until Friday to close its consulate in Houston, Texas, and Beijing has not reacted well to the order, describing it as a political provocation.

Footage of the consulate’s courtyard has shown anonymous individuals that seem to be burning paper in bins, prompting the US State Department to announce the closure of the building, in order to “protect American intellectual property”.

This was met with outrage by Wang Wenbin, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, who claimed the decision is an “unprecedented escalation” and was in violation of international law.

The announcement will certainly not help rising tensions between the two countries, who have been clashing over the coronavirus pandemic, trade, as well as the controversial Hong Kong security law, criminalising subversion against the Chinese government, terrorism, and colluding with foreign forces.

The consulate in Houston is one of five Chinese consulates in the US, besides the embassy in Washington D.C. There has been no order to close any of the others, so it is not yet clear why the Texas one has been singled out.