US Closes China's Houston Consulate, China Considers Wuhan Retaliation

The U.S. said Wednesday that it has ordered China to close its consulate in Houston "to protect American intellectual property and American's private information." As a result, China is reportedly considering ordering the U.S. Consulate in Wuhan shuttered.

China condemned the move, which comes at a time of rising tensions between the world's two largest economies. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin called it "an outrageous and unjustified move that will sabotage relations between the two countries."

He warned of firm countermeasures if the U.S. does not reverse its decision, which he said the consulate was informed of on Tuesday.

"The unilateral closure of China's Consulate General in Houston within a short period of time is an unprecedented escalation of its recent actions against China," Wang said at a daily news briefing in Beijing.

Reuters cited a person with direct knowledge of the matter as saying that the Wuhan consulate could soon be closed.