<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The Trump Administration has ordered the immediate closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston, TX after police responded to calls about documents being burned in the facility’s courtyard. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Federal officials confirmed the consulate was shuttered to “protect American intellectual property and Americans&#8217; private information.”</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Recently, three officials from the consulate (including the lead diplomat) were caught using fake IDs at the George Bush International Airport. </span><span class="s1">On Tuesday, US prosecutors charged two Chinese hackers for a “sweeping global computer intrusion campaign” they say was backed by Beijing and aiming to steal COVID vaccine research. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">“The US 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,” said a State Department spokesperson.</span></p>
<p>The order to close the consulate<span class="s1"> comes days after the White House announced sanctions on 11 Chinese companies accused of human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region and a week after British officials banned Huawei from their 5G network.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">“I am hopeful this action will deal a significant blow to the CCP’s spy network in the US and send a clear message that their widespread espionage campaigns will no longer go unchecked,” said Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX).</span></p>
<p>The Houston consulate was a &#8220;massive spy center&#8221; and shutting it down was &#8220;long overdue,&#8221; added <span class="s1">Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), head of the chamber&#8217;s intelligence committee.</span></p>
<p>As expected, China threatened the US with &#8220;countermeasures&#8221; if the decision is not reversed and accused US officials of spying on China. <span class="s1">“If we compare the two, it is only too evident which is engaged in interference, infiltration, and confrontation,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Beijing described the closure as a violation of international law.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><em><span class="s1">The Chinese consulate in Houston covers eight states and Puerto Rico. It is one of five Chinese consulates in the US. </span></em></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Author’s Note: </b>This is further proof that China is conducting a massive spying campaign in the United States to steal our technology, undermine our government, and move closer to world dominance. They must be stopped. </span></p>