The People’s Republic of China has engaged for years in massive illegal spying and influence operations throughout the United States against U.S. government officials and American citizens, US State Department Spokesperson said in a statement.
“As detailed by Secretary of State Pompeo, FBI Director Wray, and Attorney General Barr in public remarks, PRC officials have interfered in our domestic politics, stolen U.S. intellectual property, coerced our business leaders, threatened families of Chinese Americans residing in China, and more,” the State Department spokesperson said.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that his administration does not rule out closing additional Chinese diplomatic missions in the United States.
“As far as closing additional embassies, it’s always possible. We thought there was a fire in the one we did close, I guess they were burning documents and papers. I wonder what that is all about,” Trump said during a daily press briefing at the White House.
On July 22, the US State Department ordered China to close its consulate in Houston, Texas, within 72 hours over accusations that it engaged in massive illegal spying and influence operations in the US for years.
State Secretary Mike Pompeo said, “It’s not just American intellectual property been stolen, it’s been European intellectual property too, causing hundreds – costing hundreds of thousands of jobs, good jobs for hard-working people all across Europe and America stolen by the Chinese Communist Party.”
“We are setting out clear expectations for how the Chinese Communist Party is going to behave, and when they do not, we are going to take actions that protect the American people, protect our security, our national security, and also protect our economy and jobs. That’s the actions that you’re seeing taken by President Trump. We will continue to engage in those,” he added.
The order by US to close down a Chinese consulate has worsened the already adverse relations between the US and China. In recent times, the two countries have sparred over a range of issues — China’s move to impose national security law in Hong Kong, its human rights violation in Xinjiang and territorial aggression in the South China Sea have all drawn fierce criticism from Washington.
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