China’s Foreign Ministry said Beijing would take the necessary measures if the U.S. does not withdraw its claim.
“On July 21, the United States strongly demanded that China close the Consulate General of China in Houston. This unilateral political provocation by the US seriously violates the norms of international law and key principles of international relations, as well as the consular agreement between China and the US”,- he said.
According to the diplomat, the U.S. government has recently shifted the blame on China by “stigmatizing, baselessly attacking China’s social system, harassing employees of China’s embassy and consulates in the U.S., intimidating and interrogating Chinese students, and even detaining them for no reason. “The unilateral closure of the Consulate General of China in Houston within a short period of time is an unprecedented escalation of recent US actions against China,” the diplomat stressed.
He also pointed out that “China is committed to the principle of non-interference”, and “infiltration and interference has never been part of China’s foreign policy. “[The activities] of Chinese diplomatic missions on the territory of the United States are aimed at strengthening mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of the two countries,” Wang Wenbin concluded.
Earlier, Hu Jin, editor-in-chief of the Chinese state publication Global Times, wrote on his Twitter page that the U.S. demanded that China close the Consulate General of China in Houston within 72 hours. He also called that demand “a crazy move.