‘China will definitely take necessary legitimate actions,’ a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said, shortly after the provocative move from the State Department.

China on Wednesday vowed to retaliate against the U.S. shortly after learning it had 72 hours to close its consulate in Houston.

“China strongly condemns this outrageous and unjustified move. We urge the U.S. to reverse this incorrect decision immediately. Otherwise China will definitely take necessary legitimate actions,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in a statement to reporters.

Wang’s comments came shortly after Beijing revealed what it considered a surprise order from the Trump administration to vacate the consulate, one of five it maintains in the U.S. along with its embassy in Washington, D.C. The State Department would not explain specifically why it ordered the consulate to close, but spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in an emailed statement Wednesday morning that diplomats must respect the laws and affairs of their host country.

“The United States will not tolerate the PRC’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,” Ortagus said, using an abbreviation for the People’s Republic of China. “President Trump insists on fairness and reciprocity in U.S.-China relations.”

Wang blasted the move as “an American political provocation against China and a serious breach of international law and the basic norms of international relations.” The decision also represents “a grave violation of the bilateral consular agreement” and “deliberately undermines” relations between the two countries. He added that the consulate, as of Wednesday morning, remained open.

The provocative diplomatic move from the U.S. comes at a time of heightened and troubling tensions between the two economic powers on all fronts: The U.S. has levied sanctions against Chinese officials in retaliation for its crackdown on Hong Kong, and bolstered its military presence in the South China Sea – including the rare deployment of two aircraft carriers. China in turn has deployed its own military forces to the contested region, and sanctioned U.S. lawmakers for their criticism of its handling of the former British colony.

A State Department spokesperson speaking on the condition of anonymity said China has “engaged for years in massive illegal spying and influence operations throughout the United States against U.S. government officials and American citizens.” The spokesperson added that these activities have increased in recent years, including theft of intellectual property, coercing business leaders, interference in domestic politics and threatening Chinese-Americans living in the U.S.

The State Department has ramped up its criticism of China in recent weeks as the administration continues to blame it for allowing the spread of the coronavirus and causing a global pandemic, as positive cases continue to climb within the U.S. In May, it accused Beijing of an orchestrated campaign to hack U.S. efforts to develop a coronavirus vaccine, and for successfully manipulating Twitter to spread disinformation about the virus’ spread – a claim the social media giant denied. Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. would take a harder line against China’s attempts to control territory along its borders also claimed by U.S. partners and allies.

U.S. military and diplomatic officials fear China may next turn to Taiwan in an attempt to exert greater control over the country it considers a “renegade province.”

Chinese state media has warned in recent days that the escalating tensions could lead to all-out conflict.

“There could be small hot wars in some areas — or what might be seen as accidental crossfires,” according to a post on Tuesday from China’s Global Times, which is not a direct mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party but is aligned with its views. “The most possible battlefields are the South China Sea and the Taiwan Straits.

Source:

US NEWS
Paul D. Shinkman
Senior Writer, National Security
July 22, 2020