China has asked the United States Government to rescind its decision to close its (Chinese) consulate in Houston or face a serious reaction.
The US had ordered China to halt operations at the facility, “in order to protect American intellectual property and the private information of Americans”.
The US police said their were reports of smoke in the courtyard outside the consulate, located on Montrose Boulevard, Houston, Texas.
But the Chinese Foreign Ministry has condemned the development, saying it amounted to a political provocation “unilaterally launched by the US side, which seriously violates international law, basic norms governing international relations and the bilateral consular agreement between China and the US.”
It added:
“China strongly condemns such an outrageous and unjustified move which will sabotage China-US relations,”
“We urge the US to immediately withdraw its erroneous decision, otherwise China will make legitimate and necessary reactions.”
“The US has been shifting the blame to China with stigmatization and unwarranted attacks against China’s social system, harassing Chinese diplomatic and consular staff in the US, intimidating and interrogating Chinese students and confiscating their personal electrical devices, even detaining them without cause.”
“China is committed to the principle of non-interference. Infiltration and interference is never in the genes and tradition of China’s foreign policy.”
