<p>The United States has ordered China to close its Houston consulate, Beijing said Wednesday, marking a dramatic escalation in diplomatic tensions between the feuding superpowers.</p>.<div><p>The move comes as the world's two biggest economies have crossed swords on a growing number of fronts, from trade to Beijing's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and its policies in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and the South China Sea.</p><p>"China urges the US to immediately withdraw its wrong decision, or China will definitely take a proper and necessary response," said foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, adding Beijing was told Tuesday that the consulate would have to close.</p><p>"It is a political provocation unilaterally launched by the US side, which seriously violates international law... and the bilateral consular agreement between China and the US," Wang said.</p><p>He added that China "strongly condemns" the "outrageous and unjustified move which will sabotage China-US relations".</p><p>According to local media in Houston, firefighters and police were called to the consulate building on Tuesday evening on reports that documents were being burned in the building's courtyard.</p><p>The Twitter feed of the Houston police force said smoke was observed, but officers "were not granted access to enter the building".</p><p>The Chinese Consulate in Houston was opened in 1979 -- the first in the year the US and the People's Republic of China established diplomatic relations, according to its website.</p><p>The website says the office covers eight southern US states -- including Texas and Florida -- and has nearly one million people in the area registered at the consulate.</p><p>There are five Chinese consulates in the US, as well as an embassy in Washington.</p><p>President Donald Trump's administration has ramped up pressure on China on a wide range of issues, imposing sanctions on Chinese officials over policies in Tibet and Xinjiang.</p><p>The United States has led denunciations of the treatment of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, a far west region where an estimated one million Uighurs and other ethnic groups are believed to have been held in re-education camps.</p><p>The US has also downgraded relations with Hong Kong after China implemented a new security law which it says is in violation of its promises of autonomy for the territory.</p><p>In addition, last week Washington formally declared Beijing's pursuit of territory and resources in South China Sea as illegal, explicitly backing the territorial claims of Southeast Asian countries against China's.</p><p>Washington has also infuriated Beijing by banning telecom giant Huawei and seeking the extradition from Canada of top company executive Meng Wanzhou.</p><p>US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the "entire world" to stand up to China on Tuesday during a visit to Britain.</p></div>
<p>The United States has ordered China to close its Houston consulate, Beijing said Wednesday, marking a dramatic escalation in diplomatic tensions between the feuding superpowers.</p>.<div><p>The move comes as the world's two biggest economies have crossed swords on a growing number of fronts, from trade to Beijing's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and its policies in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and the South China Sea.</p><p>"China urges the US to immediately withdraw its wrong decision, or China will definitely take a proper and necessary response," said foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, adding Beijing was told Tuesday that the consulate would have to close.</p><p>"It is a political provocation unilaterally launched by the US side, which seriously violates international law... and the bilateral consular agreement between China and the US," Wang said.</p><p>He added that China "strongly condemns" the "outrageous and unjustified move which will sabotage China-US relations".</p><p>According to local media in Houston, firefighters and police were called to the consulate building on Tuesday evening on reports that documents were being burned in the building's courtyard.</p><p>The Twitter feed of the Houston police force said smoke was observed, but officers "were not granted access to enter the building".</p><p>The Chinese Consulate in Houston was opened in 1979 -- the first in the year the US and the People's Republic of China established diplomatic relations, according to its website.</p><p>The website says the office covers eight southern US states -- including Texas and Florida -- and has nearly one million people in the area registered at the consulate.</p><p>There are five Chinese consulates in the US, as well as an embassy in Washington.</p><p>President Donald Trump's administration has ramped up pressure on China on a wide range of issues, imposing sanctions on Chinese officials over policies in Tibet and Xinjiang.</p><p>The United States has led denunciations of the treatment of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, a far west region where an estimated one million Uighurs and other ethnic groups are believed to have been held in re-education camps.</p><p>The US has also downgraded relations with Hong Kong after China implemented a new security law which it says is in violation of its promises of autonomy for the territory.</p><p>In addition, last week Washington formally declared Beijing's pursuit of territory and resources in South China Sea as illegal, explicitly backing the territorial claims of Southeast Asian countries against China's.</p><p>Washington has also infuriated Beijing by banning telecom giant Huawei and seeking the extradition from Canada of top company executive Meng Wanzhou.</p><p>US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the "entire world" to stand up to China on Tuesday during a visit to Britain.</p></div>