US orders closure of Chinese Consulate in Houston by tomorrow

The United States has ordered the closure of the Chinese Consulate in Houston by tomorrow. In a statement, US State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said, the closure was due to unfair trade practices, theft of American jobs, and other egregious behavior.  She also said that  the closure was necessary to protect American's intellectual property and private information.

According to Houston media reports, fire was reported from the Chinese Consulate in Houston after the closure of



Chinese consulate in the city.

The move comes close on the heels of the claims by the US Justice Department that China-aided hackers stole intellectual property rights worth millions of dollars from COVID-19 vaccine. It has also been alleged that they stole trade secrets from companies across the world. 

The US and China have been engaged in a row over  the origin of  COVID-19 in China, trade ties and Hong Kong.