China vows retaliation after US ordered its Houston consulate closed within 72 hours (Source Yahoo)

China vowed to retaliate after the United States ordered the closure of its consulate in Houston, a move that further inflamed tensions between the two superpowers.

A spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, said China was notified that it would have to close the consulate within 72 hours. In a regular daily news briefing, he described the action as an “unprecedented escalation” and said China would “react with firm countermeasures” if the United States does not revoke the decision.  State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement that the closure was “to protect American intellectual property and Americans’ private information.” It is unusual but not unprecedented for the United States to close another country’s consulate. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declined to explain what triggered the decision when pressed on the matter during a news briefing in Copenhagen, where he was meeting with Danish officials. But he raised long-standing U.S. accusations that China’s government steals American intellectual property.