The US says it is to protect the American people and their intellectual property, as China warns of retaliation
People try to gain access to the Chinese consulate after the US ordered China to close its doors on July 22 2020 in Houston, Texas. Picture: GETTY IMAGES/AFP/GO NAKAMURA
The US state department confirmed the decision and said the move was made “to protect American intellectual property and Americans’ private information”.Speaking on a visit to Denmark, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo offered no specifics, but repeated accusations about Chinese theft of US and European IP, which, he said, are costing “hundreds of thousands of jobs”.
The deterioration comes in the run-up to the November US presidential election, in which Trump and his Democrat rival Joe Biden have appeared to compete over who can look tougher in response to China. Republican senator Marco Rubio, acting chair of the Senate intelligence committee, said the Houston consulate is “basically a front”.
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it would shut the consulate.
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