(Image source from: nyt.com)
Apparently due to burning of documents, fire was reported at Chinese consulate in Houston in its courtyard. This comes after the US ordered the closure of the consulate.
Amid escalation in tension between China and the US, the United States has ordered Beijing to close its consulate in Houston. Soon after the order by the US government, fire was reported at the consulate due to the burning of the documents in the courtyard.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin commented on this move by the US to be outrageous and unjustified and claimed that the decision by US to close the consulate will affect the China-US relations.
This comes as the tensions between the countries rise over several issues including coronavirus, trade practices and Chinese aggression in its vicinity.
The Chinese spokesperson warned of firm countermeasures if the US does not reverse its decision.
He said that this decision by the US within a short period of time is an unprecedented one among its recent escalations on China.
However, there was no immediate confirmation of the closure from the US state department or the White House.
The state government has agreed about the fire in the consulate and said it was because of the burning of documents in the courtyard.
Fire and Police officials have resoponded to the fire in the Chinese consulate in Houston. First responders arrived at the scene but did not go into the consulate, according to the Houston Police Department.
According to the department of Houston Police, smoke was observed in the courtyard area on the outside. Officers were not granted access to the inside of the building. As the department is not the leading agency in the matter, no other further information can be released by the department at the moment.
The US government said in a statement that it is ordering to close the Chinese consulate in Houston to protect American Intellectual property and the private information of the country.
The US spokesperson Morgan has said that the closure of the consulate was being done keeping in mind the practices from China like unfair trade practices, theft of American jobs and other egregious behavior.
However, it is unclear why the Houston’s Chinese consulate was ordered to close exactly.
Donald Trump has been vocal about his aggression on China since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. He even has accused China of not stopping the spread of the virus though the country had the power to do it.
Reportedly, he even urged other countries to stop using Huawei products and US is also planning to ban Chinese apps after India has done it.
By Gayatri Yellayi