US Orders Abrupt Closure Of Chinese Consulate In Houston, Texas In 72 Hours | Here's Why

The US has ordered China to shut its consulate in Houston, Texas, and vacate the premises in 72 hours.

Representative Image (AFP)

New Delhi: The US has asked for an abrupt closure of its consulate located in Houston, Texas. According to media reports, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has said that the US has given a deadline to China to close its consulate operation in Houston. Wang Wenbin spokesperson of Chinse foreign ministry said in a report by Reuters,“The unilateral closure of China’s consulate general in Houston within a short period of time is an unprecedented escalation of its recent actions against China. We urge the U.S. to immediately revoke this erroneous decision. Should it insist on going down this wrong path, China will react with firm countermeasures.” Documents were reportedly being burnt in consulate The news comes after the US media reported that documents were being burned in the courtyard of the consulate on Tuesday night. According to some of the reports, trash cans filled with documents were being burnt. Video of the incident show smoke billowing from the building and the Houston fire department waiting outside as they were not given permission to enter. According to a report by ANI, the Editor- In- Chief of Global Times has also tweeted about the decision of the United States.

The US asked China to close Consulate General in Houston in 72 hours. This is a crazy move.

— Hu Xijin 胡锡进 (@HuXijin_GT) July 22, 2020

The relationship between US and China has been deteriorating ever since the coronavirus outbreak. The US president Donald Trump has blamed China for the pandemic and also accused the World Health Organization of taking sides. In an interview on Tuesday, Trump launched another scathing attack on China over the coronavirus pandemic calling it the 'China Virus'. "It's a nasty, horrible disease that should've never been allowed to escape China, but it did. It infected the world, and the world is suffering. But we're going to get it taken care of, and we're helping lots of other countries," the US president said during a news conference at the White House.