Beijing vows to retaliate after US demands the closure of Houston consulate

South China Morning Post ^ | 3:57pm, 22 Jul, 2020 | Jun Mai in Beijing and Kinling Lo

[Texas resident]

Houston is a major oil and gas town and is close to NASA.

Good strategic location for a Chinese spy base.

[VanShuyten]

“ The Consulate General in Houston is the first Chinese consulate general established in the US.”

“ Probably a major spy base.”

Yes. Texas used to be the computer and rocket center of the US.

[backwoods-engineer]

Future historians will likely look back at THIS EVENT as the tipping point on the run-up to war with China, and to the wider World War IV (or III, whatever you like).

[Texas resident]

Given how pissed the Chinese are, I guess our country just shut down a huge syping operation.

[nonliberal]

Burn it down!

[Zhang Fei]

Ping

[DoodleDawg]

Tell them we’ll close the consulate in Wuhan.

[Sans-Culotte]

Maybe my coffee has not kicked in yet .... but it seems the article is one-sided propaganda - does not mention why the US demanded closure of Houston consulate.

I work down the street from that building. I don't watch the news much, but I did see a story about a fire at the consulate. Turns out the fire was a controlled fire in the which the Chi-coms were burning documents in large barrels.

[Fai Mao]

So what is Beijing going to do, close the US consulate ib Guangdong(Canton)? It isn’t like it is ever open anyway in my experience.

[Susquehanna Patriot]

“Turns out the fire was a controlled fire in the which the Chi-coms were burning documents in large barrels.”

Thanks for the report from the ground. That’s what I figured happened - the news reporting was disjointed, and it seemed more focused on a fire-call than on CN espionage.

[The Pack Knight]

It’s about time. The ChiComs have been running industrial espionage ops out of that consulate for years.

[The Pack Knight]

There’s some footage going around that looks like it was taken from one of the new highrise condos across the street, and it shows that pretty clearly.

[Zhang Fei]

[So what is Beijing going to do, close the US consulate ib Guangdong(Canton)? It isn’t like it is ever open anyway in my experience.]

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I’ve read a rumor that the US consulate in Hong Kong might be targeted.

[WASCWatch]

The Houston Medical Center has over 100,000 employees. Some of the most advanced medical research happens in the medical center area, including the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

[stuck_in_new_orleans]

Dumb assholes already gave us the corona virus. What more could they do?

[Zhang Fei]

[It’s about time. The ChiComs have been running industrial espionage ops out of that consulate for years.]

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That’s probably true of the embassy and every consulate on US soil. I expect American businessmen who have frequent business dealings with China who are covered by this consulate (i.e. they are within a few hundred mile radius of Houston) are cursing State for not closing San Francisco or New York instead. After all, San Fran is said to be harboring a Chinese fugitive and PLA officer wanted for visa fraud.