Tensions escalated again Wednesday between China and the United States, which sparked outrage in Beijing by ordering the closure by Friday of the consulate in Houston, Texas.
Published on 23 July 2020 at 0h 00
La Presse
The State Department said the unusual move was aimed at protecting “American intellectual property and American private information.”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, visiting Denmark, stressed that the United States would not allow China to continue to engage in espionage.
PHOTO THIBAULT SAVARY, FRANCE-PRESS AGENCY
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen
“We are defining very clearly how the Chinese Communist Party should behave. If [les autorités] do not comply, we will act to protect Americans, national security, the economy and jobs, “he said without discussing why the Houston consulate was targeted.
A “vast network of spies”
At the same time, the government posted a video on Twitter on Wednesday accusing China of wanting to take advantage of “American values and openness” to appropriate the technologies necessary for building an army “of world class “.
The Justice Department announced on Tuesday the indictment of two hackers linked to the Ministry of State Security of China who allegedly stole trade secrets worth several hundred million dollars over a period of several years .
Republican Senator Marco Rubio assured on Twitter that the consulate in question was at the heart of a “vast network of spies” operating on American soil and was not a diplomatic establishment.
Houston firefighters attended the scene Tuesday after people saw workers burning documents in the backyard. They saw the presence of smoke, but were unable to enter the building.
PHOTO MARK MULLIGAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Intervention by firefighters at the Chinese consulate in Houston, Tuesday
The Wrath of China
The Chinese government reacted angrily to allegations of espionage and the request to close the consulate in Houston on Wednesday, arguing that it was an “unprecedented” move “outrageously” intended to exacerbate tensions between the two countries.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry quoted by state media warned that retaliatory measures would follow if Washington did not reverse its decision.
On Global Times, , which acts as the government's spokesperson, has launched an online consultation with its readers to find out which U.S. consulate in China should be targeted for retaliation.
The daily, citing “people well acquainted with the matter”, assured that the United States “had absolutely no valid excuse” to demand the closure of the consulate in Houston.
A “very serious” diplomatic gesture
Guy Saint-Jacques, former Canadian ambassador to China, said on Wednesday that the closure order represented “a very serious gesture” on the diplomatic front and would certainly lead to a substantial response from Beijing.
“The Americans seem exasperated, although it is known that spies operate from Chinese consulates and embassies,” said Saint-Jacques.
“Their decision now means anything goes, while everyone at this point should be thinking it's best to calm down,” he adds.
Many points of friction
The decision on the consulate in Houston comes as the points of friction between the two countries multiply.
Earlier this week, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced measures targeting a dozen Chinese firms to prevent American technologies from being used in Xinjiang in what he believes be a “disgusting offensive” against the Uyghur population.
Several Western countries, as well as human rights organizations, accuse Beijing of arbitrarily detaining in camps more than a million members of this Muslim minority.
In an opinion released on Wednesday, a group of British lawyers indicated that Western countries had a legal responsibility to denounce the abuses of the Chinese regime in the region.
Washington and Beijing are also clashing over the introduction in Hong Kong of a new national security law deemed liberticidal by opponents of the regime.
China's role in the COVID pandemic – 15, which is wreaking havoc in the United States, also continues to be debated, President Donald Trump insisting on talking about the “Chinese virus”.