Chinese consulate in Houston raided by US officials amid rumors of it being 'hotbed of spies' stealing research
US officials raided the Chinese consulate in Houston on Friday, April 24, shortly after it was ordered to be shut down by the government. President Donald Trump, on Wednesday, July 22, had ordered to shut the consulate, which was reportedly "a hotbed of spies and was allegedly being used to steal scientific and medical research from the country into China."
Just a few hours after the consulate officially closed on Friday afternoon, a group of US officials in plain clothes were seen forcing open the back door of the building. The incident occurred shortly after consulate staff had exited the building shortly after 4 PM.
Meanwhile, Chinese authorities have called on the US government to reverse its decision, saying that the diplomatic office's closure was "breaking down the friendship bridge" between the countries. Beijing, in response to US move, ordered the closure of the US consulate in Chengdu within 72 hours.
Texas fire officials, amid a heightened diplomatic and trade dispute between the US and China, had responded to fire reports near the office of the Consulate General of China in Houston on Tuesday, July 21. It was later observed by nearby residents that smoke was emanating from the consulate premises after its employees reportedly began burning documents in the courtyard.
Houston police, in a tweet, wrote that smoke was seen in a courtyard area but that officers were not allowed to enter the building. Footage of the incident was shared by multiple local media outlets, showing the Houston Police Department and fire officials attempting to enter the premises to put out the fire. The officials reportedly were alerted of the fire at around 8 PM local time at 3417 Montrose Boulevard, the address where the Chinese consulate is located.
China, in a statement on Wednesday, July 22, had said that the US had abruptly told the country to close its consulate in Houston. Beijing threatened retaliation over the move, calling America's decision "outrageous" and warned the US of tough actions if they do not reverse their decision.
US officials, in a conversation with NBC, had stated that the Houston consulate has long been used by the Chinese government to steal valuable medical research. They also alleged that Beijing was involved in attempts to infiltrate the oil and natural gas industries in the US. Virginia Senator Mark Warner, member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told the outlet that he would not discuss the specific intelligence which led to the closure of the consulate.
"But I can tell you for the last two years, I and other members of the intel committee have been holding classified briefings with business leaders and academic leaders about the concerted efforts of the Chinese communist party to steal our intellectual property, to steal it from companies, to steal it from universities, to be on better guard," the Democrat senator said.
The US State Department, earlier this week, had released a statement, saying it was necessary "to protect American intellectual property and Americans' private information." No particular details of the precise reason for the closure were provided. Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagys, however, said that the US would "not tolerate the PRC's (China'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".