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Beijing Orders Shutdown of US Consulate in Chengdu in Retaliation For Shutdown of China's Houston Consulate
Epoch Times ^ | 07/24/2020 | Frank Fang

Posted on 07/24/2020 7:51:56 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Beijing has ordered one of the U.S. consulates in China to shut down, in an apparent retaliation against Washington over its decision to close down the Chinese consulate in Houston.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs ordered the closure of the U.S. consulate in Chengdu, the capital of southwestern China’s Sichuan Province. In a statement issued on its website on Friday, the Ministry said it informed the U.S. Embassy about its decision on Friday morning.

Currently, the United States has six diplomatic outposts in China, an embassy in the capital Beijing, and five consulates. The five are located in the Chinese cities of Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, Wuhan.

Beijing’s decision came just two days after the U.S. State Department ordered the Chinese consulate in Houston to close to “protect American intellectual property.” On Wednesday, President Donald Trump said it may be possible that more Chinese missions in the United States would be forced to close.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) called China’s Houston diplomatic outpost a “massive spy center” for the Chinese Communist Party.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said its decision to close the U.S. consulate in Chengdu was a “legitimate and necessary response,” and accused Washington of launching “a unilateral provocation” by ordering the Chinese consulate in Houston to close down.

It demanded that the United States to “immediately retract its wrong decision and create necessary conditions for bringing the bilateral relationship back on track.”

Recently, a court document filed on July 20 revealed that that the Chinese consulate in San Francisco was harboring a wanted visiting Chinese researcher, after she was interviewed by the FBI. She faces federal charges over concealing her ties to the Chinese military to obtain a visa.


(Excerpt) Read more at theepochtimes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: chengdu; china; consulate; houston

1 posted on 07/24/2020 7:51:56 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

China: “Houston we’ve got a problem”


2 posted on 07/24/2020 7:57:38 AM PDT by HollyB
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To: SeekAndFind

Only four more to go, plus the Embassy....


3 posted on 07/24/2020 7:57:43 AM PDT by Jumper
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To: SeekAndFind

I think it’s time for the US government to issue travel advisories stating it is dangerous for US citizens and passport holders to visit China or Chinese territories.

Also, do like Japan and offer tax credits or outright financial assistance for moving offices and production out of China and back to the US or friendly territory.


4 posted on 07/24/2020 8:03:03 AM PDT by Gen.Blather (Wait! I said that out loud?)
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To: Gen.Blather

We need to dump China there are plenty of other Asian markets to pursue


5 posted on 07/24/2020 8:06:01 AM PDT by Rodm
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To: SeekAndFind

Yep. Communists. They are entirely predictable.


6 posted on 07/24/2020 8:11:08 AM PDT by Seruzawa (TANSTAAFL!)
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To: Gen.Blather
Already done on June 5th - from the State Department web site:

Exercise increased caution in the PRC due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws for purposes other than maintaining law and order, including the use of exit bans.

Country Summary: The PRC government has asserted broad authority to prohibit U.S. citizens and citizens of other countries from leaving the PRC by using “exit bans,” sometimes keeping them in the PRC for years. The PRC government uses exit bans:

• to compel individuals to participate in PRC government investigations,

• to pressure family members to return to the PRC from abroad, and

• to aid PRC authorities in resolving civil disputes in favor of PRC national parties.

In most cases, U.S. citizens only become aware of their exit ban when they attempt to depart the PRC, and there is no reliable mechanism or legal process to find out how long the ban might continue or to contest it.

U.S. citizens may be detained without access to U.S. consular services or information about their alleged crime. U.S. citizens may be subjected to prolonged interrogations and extended detention for reasons related to “state security.” Security personnel may detain and/or deport U.S. citizens for sending private electronic messages critical of the PRC government.

7 posted on 07/24/2020 8:11:35 AM PDT by Mr. Jeeves ([CTRL]-[GALT]-[DELETE])
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To: SeekAndFind

What’s a Chengdu ? No much , LOL


8 posted on 07/24/2020 8:14:35 AM PDT by butlerweave
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To: SeekAndFind

As someone from a prominent think tank said while being interviewed by DW, there is nothing in or from China that any Western country would want to steal. No matter who he talked to from a Western country, he found that the stealing of data, manufacturing secrets, etc. went just one way, to China.


9 posted on 07/24/2020 8:18:04 AM PDT by Parmy
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To: Rodm

“We need to dump China there are plenty of other Asian markets to pursue”

I think that the PRC is going to self-dump any imports, simply because their entire economy will implode. They will have no money to purchase outside goods. This was a problem with the Soviet Union as well. All they could do was trade their X for someone else’s Y as their money was useless. Every time the PRC has attempted to make their currency convertible, huge amounts of wealth have fled the country in what is called capital flight.


10 posted on 07/24/2020 8:28:19 AM PDT by Gen.Blather (Wait! I said that out loud?)
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To: SeekAndFind

Rumor has it the next shutdown will be in Dogdoo.


11 posted on 07/24/2020 8:34:31 AM PDT by ImJustAnotherOkie (All I know is The I read in the papers.)
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To: SeekAndFind
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) called China’s Houston diplomatic outpost a “massive spy center” for the Chinese Communist Party.

Rubio emerges on the correct side of things. He's not exactly a reliable pro-American GOPer (think "Gang of Eight" here) but when he gets it right, he deserves an "atta person".

12 posted on 07/24/2020 8:42:47 AM PDT by Seaplaner
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To: Mr. Jeeves

Perhaps State should issue something similar for St. Louis-—

“Exercise increased caution in St. Louis City due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws for purposes other than maintaining law and order”


13 posted on 07/24/2020 9:16:57 AM PDT by hanamizu
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To: SeekAndFind

The principal function of consulates is to vet and issue travel, business, and student visas.
......
Here’s a tip China, there are far more Chinese wanting to come to the USA than Americans wanting to go to China.
........
Close our consulates in China, shut down your own people. See how that goes over.
.........
Remember, the Communist party is the most afraid of its own people.


14 posted on 07/24/2020 10:25:54 AM PDT by gandalftb
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