US Orders China to Shut Down its Houston, Texas Consulate in 72 Hours

By Staff, Agencies

The United States has asked China to close its Passport and Visa Office at the China Consulate General in Houston, Texas, according to the Global Times editor-in-chief, as cited by Reuters.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed the development, saying that Washington had "abruptly" informed Beijing to close down its Texas consulate on 21 July.

According to daily briefing of Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, Beijing has strongly condemned the decision and called upon the US to rescind the move, while suggesting retaliatory measures in response, as quoted by Reuters.

During the briefing, Wang Wenbin also described the US decision as a "political provocation" and "a grave violation of international law".

"China firmly condemns this revolting and unjustified move, undermining Chinese-US relations ... China calls on the US to immediately abolish this erroneous decision," the official added.

Beijing currently operates five Consulates-General in the United States, including those in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC.

According to local KPRC 2, quoting the Houston Police Department, the police and fire officials responded to reports earlier about a fire being sighted in the courtyard of the Consulate on Tuesday night.

Reports suggested that the fire was the result of documents being burned in the building's courtyard.

Commenting on reports about documents being burned in the consulate's courtyard, Wang Wenbin said that the Houston office was operating "normally".