China: consulate closure a 'provocation'

"I don't see how either side benefits from going further down the dangerous and uncharted path on which we now seem to be," Firestein added.

Foster said that China, as the other major economic power in the world, shouldn't be ignored by the US.

"It represents close to one-fifth of humanity and more when you include the China diaspora. We cannot ignore China. We must work with China," said Foster.

"Under the current administration, all the actions that have been taken in the last several months are driving a wedge between the US and China, and it is making everything more difficult to resolve than before," he said.

"Just a few months ago, when the phase one trade deal was announced, China would be buying billions of US products, a lot of which would be very beneficial to Houston and Texas as a result of purchasing billions in oil and gas, all of which last night's decision puts into jeopardy," he said.

Bob Harvey, president and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership, regretted the consulate's closure.

"The consulate has been important to building bilateral trade and investment between the Houston region and China and for furthering cultural ties," Harvey said.

Harvey also said that his group is aware of US officials' concerns directed at Chinese officials and Chinese nationals regarding the theft of intellectual property and cybertheft.

"We look forward to the reopening of the consulate in Houston once these concerns are addressed," he said.

The consulate, which had been closed since early April due to COVID-19, has been active in helping local communities fight the coronavirus.

In April, the consulate helped organize an online conference bringing medical experts from Beijing and Shandong together with their counterparts from Texas' Memorial Hermann Health System and Baylor College of Medicine to share experiences in fighting COVID-19.

The consulate facilitated donations of personal protective equipment (PPE) from China to local communities, including 21,000 masks from Shanghai to the city of Houston and a load of PPE from Shandong to Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital.

In its statement, the Chinese embassy said China is committed to the principle of noninterference in other countries' domestic affairs.

The embassy also noted how the principle of reciprocity has not been observed.

For example, it said China has helped facilitate US diplomatic missions and personnel pursuant to the Vienna conventions.

In contrast, the US imposed "unjustified" restrictions on Chinese diplomatic personnel last October, and in June it "unscrupulously and repeatedly" opened China's diplomatic pouches and seized China's official goods, the embassy said.

It said that that because of the "willful and reckless" stigmatization and fanning of hatred by the US side, the Chinese embassy in the US has received threats to the safety and security of its missions and personnel more than once.

"At the same time, the US side has more diplomatic and consular missions and personnel in China than China has in the US, another area where the principle of reciprocity is not reflected," the embassy said.