the Federal U.S. agents and local law enforcement officials invaded the building of the Consulate of China in Houston. This happened a few days after us authorities ordered to close Chinese representation in the largest city of Texas. The closure of the Consulate was part of the diplomatic war between Washington and Beijing.
on Tuesday, the United States gave China about 72 hours to “cease all operations and actions” at the Consulate in Houston. The Chinese foreign Ministry called the move “unprecedented escalation” against the backdrop of persisting tensions between the two powers. In response, China demanded that the United States closed its Consulate in Chengdu.
Press Secretary of the U.S. Department of state Morgan Ortagus claims that the Consulate was ordered closed, “to protect American intellectual property and the U.S. personal information.”
Late Tuesday night, Houston police said they received reports of smoke rising in the yard of the Consulate. The media suggested that the Embassy staff the impending closure of institutions began to burn documents. However, according to experts, the burning of the papers in such cases it is common practice that diplomats forced to leave their place of work.
And on Friday the building of the Chinese Consulate drove a few black SUVs, trucks and two white van, and Federal agents in civilian clothes entered the office. In order to get inside, had to use the services of a local locksmith.
US officials who spoke to reporters on Friday, said that the Consulate was involved in the investigation of fraud in scientific research Institute in Texas, and that officials of the Consulate of China “was directly involved in communicating with researchers and gave them what information to collect.”
As stated by the representative of the Ministry of justice, the staff of the Chinese Consulate in Houston are a microcosm of the wider network of people in more than 25 cities, which are supported through its consulates throughout the United States. According to the representative of the American Ministry of justice: “the Consulate was given to individuals in this network for instructions on how to avoid our investigation and prevent him.”
According to a senior state Department official, the idea to close the Consulate in Houston occurred this spring after the American official representatives returned to the Consulate in Wuhan to pick up diplomatic materials.
As CNN reports, Chinese authorities refused to allow American officials to leave Wuhan with the diplomatic pouch, saying that they will have to search them before leaving, This was regarded as a violation of the Vienna Convention governing diplomatic relations, and has caused fury among Secretary Mike Pompeo.
the Chinese Consulate in Houston was the first Chinese Consulate established in the territory of the United States in 1979 after Washington and Beijing have established a diplomatic relations.
on Friday, the Chinese Consulate General in Houston on Friday published on its official website an open letter to Consul General Cai Wei a address friends from different social circles of the southern United States. The letter States that the unexpected and unilateral U.S. demands to close the Consulate of China in Houston – a deliberate undermining of the us-China relationship, which essentially remain mutually beneficial.
In the letter, the sudden requirement to close the Consulate General in Houston is regarded as a gross violation of international law and the relevant provisions of the consular Treaty between the two countries, maliciously undermining bilateral relations.
In the final part of the letter, the Consul General Cai Wei promised that the bilateral exchanges between the Chinese government and the U.S. South will not stop, and China will continue to provide services to the local Chinese Diaspora: “the friendship between the peoples of China and the US can’t be broken, the bright promise of friendship and cooperation between the two countries cannot be locked”.
