US orders China to close Houston consulate ‘to protect American intellectual property’; HFD responds to fire

Houston firefighters were called to the consulate on Tuesday evening, shortly after the closure order, where someone was allegedly burning documents in a courtyard.

HOUSTON — China says the United States government this week ordered it to abruptly close its Houston consulate in what it called a “provocation” that violates international law.

“We have directed the closure of PRC Consulate General Houston, in order to protect American intellectual property and American’s private information,” stated State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus early Wednesday.

The New York Times reported that the Chinese government issued a warning that it would retaliate for the closure.

A source told KHOU 11 the consulate is being evicted by 4 p.m. Friday. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said the U.S. had demanded Tuesday the consulate cease operations. He said that China strongly condemns “such an outrageous and unjustified move that will sabotage China-US relations.”

But the State Department said consulates must respect American laws and not interfere in internal affairs:

“The Vienna Convention states diplomats must ‘respect the laws and regulations of the receiving State’ and ‘have a duty not to interfere in the internal affairs of that State.’ The United States will not tolerate the PRC’s violations of our sovereignty and intimidation of our people, just as we have not tolerated the PRC’s unfair trade practices, theft of American jobs, and other egregious behavior. President Trump insists on fairness and reciprocity in U.S.-China relations,” stated Ortagus on Wednesday.

Firefighters Tuesday evening responded to the consulate, located in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood, where someone was reportedly burning documents in an outdoor courtyard area.

Neighbors called 911 around 8:20 p.m., but firefighters were not allowed onto the property. The Houston Fire Department said due to an international agreement, they could not enter the premises without consent unless there was a threat to health and safety.

Witnesses said that people were burning paper in what appeared to be trash cans, the Associated Press reported.

A fire was previously reported at the Chinese consulate in 2017. However, that fire appeared to be different in nature and damaged the building’s upper floors.

Relations between China and the United States have been even more strained this year as the Trump administration tries to negotiate another trade deal.

And on Tuesday, the Justice Department said hackers working with the Chinese government targeted firms developing coronavirus vaccines and stole hundreds of millions of dollars worth of intellectual property and trade secrets from companies worldwide. The indictment said the hackers in recent months researched vulnerabilities in the computer networks of Massachusetts and Maryland companies known for their work in developing vaccines and treatments. The case was filed this month in federal court in Washington state and was unsealed Tuesday. The indictment includes charges of trade secret theft and wire fraud conspiracy against the hackers, who prosecutors say stole information of interest to the Chinese government.

The Associated Press and KHOU 11’s Lisa Carter contributed to this report