‘Where’s the proof?’ China’s consul general in Houston says US spying claims further damage relations
- US state department says order to close consulate was to ‘protect American intellectual property and Americans’ private information’
- Refer to American rule of law and act based on facts, Cai Wei tells US media when talking of surprise at consulate closure
China’s consul general in Houston, Texas, said the forced closure of his country’s diplomatic compound by Washington was yet another move that would be “damaging” to already fraying US-China relations.
“I never expected [to be] treated like this,” Cai told local broadcaster ABC13 from inside the consulate general building. “We are coming for friendship and for mutual understanding between China and the United States.”
What started as a sharp escalation of trade disputes two years ago has now spread into arguments involving human rights, the Hong Kong protests, Taiwan’s status and technology espionage. Chinese and US warships are also increasingly facing off in the South China Sea in territorial disputes in that region.
On Wednesday, the US state department said the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston was to “protect American intellectual property and Americans’ private information”.
In a separate statement it said China “has engaged for years in massive illegal spying and influence operations” and that those “activities have increased markedly in scale and scope over the past few years”.
At the end of last year, two Chinese diplomats were secretly expelled for alleged spying, The New York Times reported in December, citing people familiar with the incident.
Regarding the espionage allegations by the state department, Cai said the US needed to provide the evidence behind such accusations.
“Say something from the facts, this is the basic requirement for diplomats,” he said. “I know [Americans] call that the rule of law and that you are not guilty until you’re proven [guilty] … where’s the proof?”
Local police and fire department vehicles arrived at the consulate on Tuesday evening after local residents reported smoke coming from the premises.
Houston local media reported that police and fire officials said documents were being burned in the courtyard.
Cai said it was a “standard” move for diplomatic compounds from many countries to burn internal documents before leaving a foreign post.
