The strained relationship between the United States and China is not hidden from the public eyes anymore.
The COVID 19 pandemic has added to a continuing war of trade and criticism from the former regarding upheaval in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
On Tuesday evening, the Houston police allegedly responded to the smoke of reports in the courtyard outside the Chinese Consulate General in Houston, which later appeared in local media as officials inside burning documents.
The US had given China roughly 72 hours to “cease all operations and events” at the Houston facility on Tuesday, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, which called the move an “unprecedented escalation” amid ongoing tension between the two countries.
The Consulate has been closed as per Tuesday’s order after the tiff. According to US officials, the consulate officials in Houston are a “microcosm”. A US Justice Department official said Friday. “Consulates have been giving individuals in that network guidance on how to evade [and] obstruct our investigation. And you can infer from that the ability to task that [a] network of associates nationwide.”
The move is being seen as an escalation after the US officials gave 72 hours to China to stop all the ongoing operations.