US gives China 72 hours to shutter Houston embassy as spy charges rise
Washington has given China just 72 hours to close its consulate in Houston, after the US accused two Chinese nationals of spying on US businesses and researchers.
The warning marks a significant deterioration in relations between the world’s two largest economies, ramping up a war of words on both sides.
The US State Department said it issued the order “to protect American intellectual property and Americans’ private information”.
Meanwhile China’s foreign ministry called the move an “unprecedented escalation” and threatened unspecified retaliation.
While offering no specifics about the Houston consulate, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo referred to a US indictment yesterday which charged two Chinese nationals over an alleged decade-long hacking campaign.
Officials said the pair stole information on weapons designs, drugs, software source code as well as targeting dissidents and Chinese opposition figures.
“President Trump has said enough — we are not going to allow this to continue to happen,” Pompeo told reporters.
“That’s the actions that you’re seeing taken by President Trump, we’ll continue to engage in this.”
Trump is set to hold a news conference later this evening, which could shed more light on the situation.
Sources told Reuters that China is considering shutting the US consulate in Wuhan in retaliation.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying tweeted: “The US should revoke its erroneous decision. China will surely react with firm countermeasures.”
She added that the Chinese Embassy had received “bomb and death threats” because of “smears & hatred” fanned by Washington.