China strongly condemns U.S. for requiring closure of Chinese consulate in Houston

China strongly condemns the U.S. requirement to close China's Consulate-General in Houston, Texas and urges the U.S. side to recall its wrong decision or there will be countermeasures, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in Beijing on Tuesday.

The United States abruptly asked China to close its Consulate General in Houston in 72 hours starting July 21. "The decision is a unilateral political provocation made by the United States, which seriously violates international law, basic norms of international relations as well as relevant provisions of the China-U.S. Consular Treaty. The U.S. side is deliberately sabotaging China-U.S. relations, which is unreasonable. China strongly condemns the decision and urges the U.S. side to immediately recall the wrong decision. Otherwise, China will take legitimate and necessary countermeasures," Wang said.

"The U.S. government has long blamed China and smeared it by making unprovoked attacks against the country's social system and by creating unreasonable barriers for Chinese diplomats and consular staff in the United States. It also conducted intimidation, interrogation, confiscation of personal electronic devices and even groundless arrest of Chinese students studying in the United States. The U.S. unilateral announcement on closing China's Consulate-General in Houston is an upgraded action that escalates tensions between China and the United States to an unprecedented level," said Wang.

The U.S. unilateral announcement on closing China's Consulate-General in Houston is an upgraded action that escalates tensions between China and the United States to an unprecedented level, he said. "In last October and this June, the United States set restrictions against Chinese diplomats for no reason. The U.S. side repeatedly opened diplomatic bags from China without permission and seized China's articles intended for official use. The Chinese embassy in the United States has received bomb and death threats recently as the U.S. side recklessly stigmatized and incited hatred against China," said the spokesman.

"It is an excuse constantly used by the United States to groundlessly claim the relations between the two countries are not reciprocal. In fact, the United States has far more embassies, consulates and diplomats in China than China does in the United States," said Wang.