China on Wednesday condemned what it called an “unprecedented escalation” by the United States and threatened to retaliate after claiming it was abruptly ordered to close its Chinese consulate in Houston, according to reports.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in a daily news briefing that the government had been told without warning Tuesday to close the consulate.
He said the consulate had been operating normally Tuesday and called the alleged move an “unprecedented escalation,” according to the South China Morning Post.
“China demands the US revoke the wrong decision. If the US went ahead, China would take necessary counter measures,” Wang said.
Documents were burned inside the consulate’s courtyard Tuesday evening, KPRC-TV in Houston reported.
“You could just smell the paper burning,” a witness told the station. “But, all the firefighters were just surrounding the building. They couldn’t go inside.”
“The US asked China to close Consulate General in Houston in 72 hours. This is a crazy move,” Hu Xijin, Editor-in-Chief of the Global Times wrote on Twitter.
KPRC reported that the consulate was ordered to close by Friday along with a compound where many consulate employees live, citing police sources.
Beijing called the alleged eviction a violation of international law, according to Reuters.
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The State Department did not immediately respond to an after-hours email sent by Fox News.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
