Our Correspondent
Beijing
The Chinese foreign ministry’s spokesman, Wang Wenbin, said Beijing was informed on Tuesday by the US that the consulate would have to close, calling it an “outrageous and unjustified move which will sabotage China-US relations”. “China urges the US to immediately withdraw its wrong decision, or China will definitely take a proper and necessary response,” Wang said at a press briefing.
“It is a political provocation unilaterally launched by the US side, which seriously violates international law… and the bilateral consular agreement between China and the US,” he added
Earlier, the United States has ordered China to close its consulate in Houston and accused it of ramping up spying operations, dramatically escalating diplomatic tensions between the feuding superpowers. “We have directed the closure of PRC Consulate General Houston in order to protect American intellectual property and Americans’ private information,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told reporters.
