Ministry: US allegations on consulate malicious slander

Beijing said on Thursday that US allegations that China's consulate in Houston operated outside ordinary diplomatic norms are "malicious slander", saying Washington's move seriously damages bilateral ties.

The United States said on Wednesday it had given China 72 hours to close the consulate "to protect American intellectual property and Americans' private information".

Washington is "taking down the bridge of friendship between the people from both countries", Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a daily news conference.

China opened its consulate in Houston after the establishment of China-US diplomatic relations in 1979. Wang said it has been committed to promoting mutual understanding and cooperation in various fields between the two countries and has done a lot of work.

Wang said the US has twice opened Chinese diplomatic pouches－in July 2018 and January 2020. Washington has not denied that fact, he said, but repeatedly cited technical reasons to justify the actions and shift responsibility.

The US actions violated China's diplomatic dignity and security and should be condemned, he said.

Wang also denied reports that the US closure of the consulate was done in retaliation for China not helping the country reopen its consulate in Wuhan. The US announced in January the temporary closure of its consulate in Wuhan and the withdrawal of its personnel.

Some US diplomats returned to the consulate to resume operations in June, and China has been providing conveniences for the US consulate to perform its duties in accordance with the law.

Cai Wei, consul general of China in Houston, told ABC13 television news on Wednesday: "I am surprised and angry because we have done nothing wrong.

"I think the US and China are such important countries; we need to be friends. It's unimaginable for me to see such a cold war between two such big countries. It's a disaster to two peoples. It's also a disaster for the whole world."

"Some US politicians lied for so-called political correctness, while ignoring people's lives and well-being. In the end, they will harm others as well as themselves. We advise those US politicians to stop playing their tricks as soon as possible."

Jessica Chen Weiss, a political scientist and associate professor of government at Cornell University, said that unless more evidence is forthcoming, the move "looks like a stepped-up effort to use China as the boogeyman and distract US voters from the Trump administration's disastrous response to" the novel coronavirus pandemic.

'Last thing' US needs

"If the consulate has been engaged in 'massive illegal spying and influence operations', why was the announcement so thin on detail?" Weiss asked in a series of tweets posted on Wednesday.

"The last thing we need as our country struggles with a once-in-a-century pandemic is an all-out confrontation with China," she added.

Jon Taylor, a professor and chair of the department of political science and geography at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said the timing of the US move "immediately raises some questions".

"Unless there is some substantial evidence, this appears to be another effort to 'look tough' on China during a US presidential election year," he said.

Charles Foster, the former chairman of the Asia Society Texas Center and the current chairman of US-China Partnerships in Houston, said that the US decision will "cause a counter reaction in China－and any further reaction in the US－all leading to steady deterioration of bilateral relations at a time we should be strengthening it".

Foster said that China, as the other major economic power in the world, shouldn't be ignored by the US.

"It represents close to one-fifth of humanity and more when you include the China diaspora. We cannot ignore China. We must work with China," said Foster.

"Under the current administration, all the actions that have been taken in the last several months are driving a wedge between the US and China, and it is making everything more difficult to resolve than before," he said.

"Just a few months ago, when the phase one trade deal was announced, China would be buying billions of US products, a lot of which would be very beneficial to Houston and Texas as a result of purchasing billions in oil and gas, all of which last night's decision puts into jeopardy," he said.

Bob Harvey, president and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership, said, "The consulate has been important to building bilateral trade and investment between the Houston region and China and for furthering cultural ties."

Wang, the spokesman, was asked about allegations that the Chinese consulate engages in espionage activities, based on reports of the Houston consul general and two other Chinese diplomats recently using fake identification to escort Chinese travelers to the gate area of a charter flight at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. He clarified that Chinese consular officials entered a restricted area of the airport with a consular certificate approved by the US State Department to take care of Chinese citizens on the flight.

Wang said that such a practice complies with relevant laws and regulations, and there are precedents.

"The US accusation against China is completely fabricated and not true," he said, adding that the information about the staff of the Chinese diplomatic missions in the US is open and transparent.

May Zhou in Houston contributed to this story.