US orders China consulate in Texas closed

The United States says it is ordering China to close its consulate in Houston "to protect American intellectual property" and the private information of Americans.China strongly condemns 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.

In Houston, firefighters responded to reports of papers being burned on the consulate grounds Tuesday night but were barred entry, according to news media reports.The U.S., in a brief statement, did not provide any details on why the consulate in Texas was targeted."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.

Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker says the harsh action is rare."It strikes me as a very significant, unusual move," he says. "It is not something that I think we see all the time at all."Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Trump administration is taking action to halt long-running intellectual property theft, noting indictments announced Tuesday against two Chinese individuals accused of hacking.

"President (Donald) Trump has said 'Enough, we're not going to allow this to continue to happen'," he said while on an official visit to Copenhagen.China was informed of the decision Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, calling it "an outrageous and unjustified move that will sabotage relations between the two countries."

In a reflection of China's economic importance, a Houston business group expressed regret at the announcement, saying the consulate has been important in building trade, investment and cultural ties. It noted that the Houston consulate was China's first in the U.S. when it opened in 1979.

The Greater Houston Partnership expressed hope that China would take immediate steps to address intellectual property and cybersecurity concerns. "We look forward to the reopening of the consulate in Houston once these concerns are addressed," it said in a statement.Houston media reports said authorities responded to reports of a fire at the Chinese Consulate. Witnesses said people were burning paper in what appeared to be trash cans, the Houston Chronicle reported, citing police.

Police were told that occupants were given until 4 p.m. Friday to leave the property, the Chronicle said.Wang accused the U.S. of opening Chinese diplomatic pouches without permission multiple times, confiscating Chinese items for official use and imposing restrictions on Chinese diplomats in the U.S. last October and again in June. He also said that U.S. diplomats in China engage in infiltration activities.

(Image Credit: AP)