www.nairaland.com/attachments/11987118_1_jpeg83b5009e040969ee7b60362ad7426573

China said the U.S. move to close its Houston consulate this week had “severely harmed” relations and warned it “must” retaliate, without detailing what it would do.

Washington on Tuesday gave China 72 hours to close the consulate, which it said was “to protect American intellectual property and Americans’ private information,” a dramatic escalation of tension between the world’s two biggest economies.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin described the U.S. allegations as “malicious slander” and said the “unreasonable” move had “severely harmed” relations.

“China must make a necessary response and safeguard its legitimate rights,” he said, declining to specify any measures.

The South China Morning Post reported that China may close the U.S. consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu, while a source told Reuters on Wednesday that China was considering shutting the consulate in Wuhan, where the United States withdrew staff at the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

Hu Xijin, editor of China’s Global Times tabloid, posted on Twitter: “Based on what I know, China will announce countermeasure on Friday Beijing time. One U.S. consulate in China will be asked to close.”

He had earlier said that shutting the Wuhan consulate would be insufficiently disruptive and suggested that China could cut U.S. staff at its large consulate in Hong Kong, which he described as an “intelligence centre.”

“This will make Washington suffer much pain,” he wrote.

The other U.S. consulates in China are in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenyang.

China has four other consulates in the United States - in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York - as well as an embassy in Washington.

A U.S. law enforcement official, familiar with the reasons for the closure of Chinese consulate in Houston, said there was “not one singular incident” which led to the decision. He said the consulate was part of a “continual pattern” of suspicious or potentially illegal activities by Chinese diplomatic missions.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio, acting chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, described the Houston consulate on Twitter as the “central node of the Communist Party’s vast network of spies & influence operations in the United States”.

President Donald Trump said in answer to a question at a news briefing on Wednesday it was “always possible” other Chinese missions could be closed too.

Richard Grenell, special presidential envoy for Serbia and Kosovo who served until recently as acting director of U.S. national intelligence, told Reuters the U.S. strategy was “very much start with one and move on to others if need be.”

“It’s the escalation strategy,” he said.

“The whole goal is to change the behavior of the Chinese... this is emerging as the Trump doctrine, which is very harsh actions, sanctions and isolation while at the same time always offering a chance to exit if the behavior changes.”

The Wall Street Journal said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would deliver a speech in California later on Thursday urging allied countries and the people of China to work with the United States to change the Chinese Communist Party’s behavior.

In spite of the tensions, a flight bound for Shanghai carrying U.S. diplomats left the United States on Wednesday night, as Washington pressed ahead with its plan to restaff missions in China evacuated due to the coronavirus pandemic.

ELECTION ‘GAMBIT’

U.S.-China ties have deteriorated sharply this year over issues ranging from the coronavirus and telecoms-gear maker Huawei to China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and its clampdown on Hong Kong.

Chinese state media editorials said the U.S. move against the Houston consulate was an attempt to blame Beijing for U.S. failures ahead of Trump’s November reelection bid.

Opinion polls show Trump trailing his Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead of the Nov. 3 election. The candidates have appeared to compete in their campaigns over who can appear toughest towards Beijing.

Separately, the Federal Bureau of Investigation alleged in U.S. court filings that a Chinese researcher accused of visa fraud and concealing ties to the military was now holed up in China’s consulate in San Francisco.

Other Chinese researchers at U.S. universities have also been arrested for visa fraud, according to U.S. court filings.

Wang said China would safeguard its citizens.

“For some time, the U.S. has held ideological bias to continuously surveil, harass and even arbitrarily detain Chinese students and scholars in the U.S.,” he said.

“We urge the U.S. to stop using any excuse to restrict, harass or oppress Chinese students and researchers in the U.S.”

Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-consulate/china-warns-it-must-retaliate-after-closure-of-houston-consulate-idUSKCN24O02D?il=0

Nawa o....who's the hunter? Who's the hunted?

Na these two countries go cause the next war

Won be ni o mafo awon na ofe wahala

Abeg US and China, make una leave us alone.
When we are praying for peace and progress, these two are fighting...

China and US matter be like smoke and fire...just so inseperable

Chengdu consular office is likely to be closed. Closing the HK office would be extreme as suggested by Hu Xijin

Modified
As I suggested earlier the Chinese govt went for the consular in Chengdu. I was opportuned to know that city on my visit to China some yrs back.

I want to tell Nigerian youths today that, China is the World's first superpower to become prosperous on hardwork. UK, USA, France and largely all Europeans became wealthy by stealing, killing, slavery, manipulations, etc

They invade nations by dividing them, and then sponsor the greedy and inexperience oppositions to topple the govt. I don't need to remind you about Libya, Iraq, Venezuela etc.

I want Nigerian govt at all levels to understudy chinese success. It's a very good model to develop Africa. They would study your technology and innovate it. Chinese are brilliant and resilience. Africans have no reason taking side with anyone, everyone is fighting for their interests

The United States of all countries is worried about spies, oh the irony.
With everything the CIA does around the world, planting sleepers and active agents inside governments of foreign countries, I wonder if they thought they were the only ones capable of such spycraft.

China has indeed taking over from Russia in recent times by giving God's Own Country a lot of sleepless nights and things to worry about. Lol

Donald Trump is an enemy of peace

I stand with China on this. China and Russia are never intimidated by the so-called Big brother who wants to do anything and still get away with it.

I remember when Nigeria increased their Visa fee (or something in that manner) US retaliated immediately by increasing theirs too. Being a coward shithole, Nigeria reversed the increase but America being a bully, refused to reverse theirs.. Yet, nothing happened because they are the "big brother"

opalu:
design and build high quality structures that can never crack or collapse. Since then, my team and I have Designed, Constructed and Renovated more than 1800 houses in Nigeria. We are based in LEKKI, Lagos but we work all over Nigeria!

Oga, please lie small small o. Even Frank Lloyd Wright didn't design and build upto 1800 homes. And how can you say you built structures that can never crack? Not everyone on this forum is a dunce o

China should go and die.

MY STORY
As a young boy studying Civil Engineering at the Federal Polytechnic, Idah, I received a bad news that a building collapsed in my town killing an entire family! That severe pain I felt burnt into my subconscious an eternal determination to end Building Collapse in Nigeria. So after graduating from the Polytechnic, I rushed to Federal University of Technology, Minna to earn my First Degree in Civil Engineering. When I was done again I went to University of Lagos and obtained my M.Sc in Structures and later became registered with COREN with the licence to design and build high quality structures that can never crack or collapse. Since then, my team and I have Designed, Constructed and Renovated more than 1800 houses in Nigeria. We are based in LEKKI, Lagos but we work all over Nigeria!

ENGR ABRAHAM OPALUWA
Get my number from my signature or my profile on Nairaland

Watch out! China and USA will soon put leg in one trouser.

Power tussle @ it's peak......abeg they should go and solve their problems.......we have our politicians to worry about

Make Dem fight abeg

WE BUY, WE SELL, GOOD CARS �

This is the clash of the Titans....

China has more to lose than USA..

Like I wrote earlier I don't like this two countries fighting,
U S A is my second Country After Nigeria,
and I Frequent China Too,





In As Much As They Are Trying To Make a point they Should Not let it turn to war.
This not what the world need right now.










#God Is the Greatest,
#Jesus Christ Rules.

This two countries sef....

Take it easy on us na

Every country should close US and China consulates as they serve as bases for their Secret Service agents who undermine their host countries

Ok

Markets fall as China closes US consulate in response to Houston move.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.ft.com/content/19cd7828-23c2-4cf1-9650-2ee24f636f13

Trump is trying to divert attention from covid once again.

We don't want another World War o

Chinkoism

War will start soon