US orders China to close consulate in Houston

Department confirmed that U.S. has ordered China to close its consulate in Houston, prompting Beijing to insist on firm countermeasures unless Washington immediately reverses its decision.

The move is an escalation of political tensions between the world’s two largest economies.

State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said the directive to close China’s consulate general Houston was made to protect American intellectual property and the private information of its citizens.

China condemned the decision, warning of firm countermeasures if the U.S. fails to urgently rescind the order.

“The unilateral closure of China’s consulate general in Houston within a short period of time is an unprecedented escalation of its recent actions against China,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily news briefing, The Associated Press reported.