Consulate General of China, Houston

Prior to the establishment of the People's Republic of China, a Chinese consulate was already present in Houston.{{cite news |title=Chinese Consulate Protests Shooting |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/67357160/?terms=Chinese%2Bconsulate%2Bin%2BHouston |access-date=22 July 2020 |work=El Paso Herald-Post |date=29 March 1935}} The Republic of China, as of 1937, was represented by a vice-consul.{{cite book |title=Official Congressional Directory |date=1937 |page=571 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N-KGAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA571 |language=en|last1=Congress |first1=United States }} The descendant of the ROC consulate still exists today, without diplomatic recognition, as the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston. {{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

The current PRC consulate was established in 1979 as the first PRC consulate in the United States, after Deng Xiaoping's visit to the United States and the normalization of China–United States relations.{{Cite book |last=Li |first=David Daokui |title=China's World View: Demystifying China to Prevent Global Conflict |date=2024 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |isbn=978-0393292398 |location=New York, NY |pages=238 |author-link=David Daokui Li}} In an agreement between U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Chinese Vice Premier Bo Yibo, China agreed to accept two U.S. consulates in Guangzhou and Shanghai, while mainland China would open two consulates in Houston and San Francisco.{{cite book |title=Digest of United States Practice in International Law |date=1980 |publisher=Office of the Legal Adviser, Department of State |page=382 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y5V0f-p9z1YC&pg=PA382 |language=en}} The Houston consulate-general was officially opened on November 20, 1979.{{cite book |title=Appearances of Leading Chinese Officials During ... |date=1980 |publisher=The Center |page=13 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ke1kZ9U39oC&pg=PA13 |language=en}}

In April 1981, the consulate became the center of a diplomatic incident between mainland China and the United States as Chinese ballet dancer Li Cunxin was held in the consulate for 21 hours with his newly wed American wife. Li had intended to defect to the U.S., and in the ensuing incident FBI agents surrounded the consulate with a U.S. delegation led by then Vice President George H. W. Bush successfully negotiating for Li's release.{{cite news |title='Mao's last dancer' tells his story |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0514/p15s01-almo.html |access-date=16 August 2020 |work=Christian Science Monitor |date=14 May 2004}}{{cite news |title=Newlywed Chinese Dancer Held on Visit to His Consulate in U.s. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/30/arts/newlywed-chinese-dancer-held-on-visit-to-his-consulate-in-us.html |access-date=16 August 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=30 April 1981}}

On July 21, 2020, the United States government ordered the consulate in Houston to be closed within 72 hours.{{cite news |title=US gives China 72 hours to shut Houston consulate as spying charges mount |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/us-state-department-china-houston-consulate-closed-protect-12953478 |access-date=23 July 2020 |work=CNA |date=22 July 2020 |language=en |archive-date=July 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723175124/https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/us-state-department-china-houston-consulate-closed-protect-12953478 |url-status=dead }} The U.S. State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus released a statement saying that "The United States will not tolerate the PRC's violations of our sovereignty and intimidation of our people",{{cite news |last1=Moritsugu |first1=Ken |title=China says US orders it to close its consulate in Houston |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/china-says-us-orders-it-to-close-its-consulate-in-houston/2020/07/22/f59cb488-cbf0-11ea-99b0-8426e26d203b_story.html |access-date=22 July 2020 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=22 July 2020 |language=en}} and that the State Department "have directed the closure of PRC Consulate General Houston, in order to protect American intellectual property [from Chinese theft] and American's private information".{{cite news |title=U.S. Has Ordered China Consulate in Houston to Close: State Department Spokesperson |url=https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/07/22/world/europe/22reuters-usa-china-consulate-ortagus.html |access-date=22 July 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=22 July 2006}} The Houston consulate was accused of being part of a general Chinese espionage effort in the United States,{{cite news |title=Chinese consulate in Houston closed following US order |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/24/politics/us-agents-houston-chinese-consulate/index.html |access-date=16 August 2020 |work=CNN |date=24 July 2020}} specifically stealing data on medical research and the oil and gas sector.{{cite news |title=Chinese consulate in Houston was hot spot for spying, say U.S. officials |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/chinese-consulate-houston-was-hotspot-spying-say-u-s-officials-n1234634 |access-date=16 August 2020 |work=NBC News |date=23 July 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Schultz |first1=Marisa |title=US officials raid Chinese consulate in Houston believed to be spy hub |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-raid-chinese-consulate-houston-spy-hub |access-date=16 August 2020 |work=Fox News |date=25 July 2020}} In May 2020, an independent research report from the Center for Security and Emerging Technology found that, "Before its closure in the summer of 2020, the Chinese Consulate in Houston, Texas was a major hub in China’s global S&T information gathering operation. From January 2015 to July 2020, Houston Consulate staff identified more S&T projects than any other PRC diplomatic post in the world."{{Cite web |last1=Fedasiuk |first1=Ryan |last2=Weinstein |first2=Emily |last3=Puglisi |first3=Anna |date=May 2021 |title=China's Foreign Technology Wish List |url=https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/chinas-foreign-technology-wish-list/ |access-date=April 22, 2022 |website=Center for Security and Emerging Technology}} The consulate was also accused of harassing the families of Chinese dissidents while trying to coerce them to return to mainland China.{{cite web | url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/chinese-diplomats-return-houston-consulate-shut-us-72433602 | title=Chinese diplomats return from Houston consulate shut by US | website=ABC News }}

In immediate reaction to the news of the closure, stock indices in Hong Kong, in Shanghai, and in Shenzhen dropped.{{cite news |title=China says US has ordered it to close Houston consulate |url=https://www.ft.com/content/cd8472e9-75fc-4f68-b377-f186a8e8c12f |access-date=22 July 2020 |work=Financial Times |date=22 July 2020}} Within the hours after the announcement, videos emerged on Houston's locally broadcast KPRC-TV showing documents being burned in barrels in the courtyard of the consulate. Local police and fire departments received reports of the fires at around 8 pm local time,{{cite news |title=US orders mainland China to close Houston consulate amid swirling accusations of espionage, theft |url=https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2020/07/22/houston-fire-and-police-responding-to-reports-of-documents-being-burned-at-consulate-general-of-china/ |access-date=23 July 2020 |work=click2houston |date=22 July 2020 |language=en}} and as first responders arrived at the consulate, they were denied entry. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin issued a statement in response requesting the U.S. to reverse the closure, threatening reciprocal actions (e.g. closing an American consulate in China) otherwise.

On July 24, United States officials entered the former consulate and took over the building.{{cite news | url = https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/On-eviction-day-Chinese-consulate-clears-compound-15431626.php | title= U.S. officials take over Chinese consulate in Houston |publisher= Houston Chronicle |date = July 24, 2020 }}{{cite news | url = https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/24/politics/us-agents-houston-chinese-consulate/index.html | title= US agents enter Chinese consulate compound in Houston after deadline for closure passes |publisher= CNN |date = July 25, 2020 }} In retaliation, the Chinese government ordered the United States on Friday to close its consulate in Chengdu, in response to the U.S. shutting down the Houston consulate.{{Cite web |last1=Feng |first1=Emily |last2=Lucas |first2=Ryan |date=2020-07-24 |title=China Orders U.S. To Close Its Consulate In Chengdu |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/07/24/894960595/china-orders-u-s-to-close-its-consulate-in-chengdu |access-date=2023-06-13 |website=NPR}}

• Wu Xiaoda (吴晓达) November 1979–May 1983
• Tang Xingbo (汤兴伯) June 1983–April 1986
• Ni Yaoli (倪耀礼) April 1986–July 1989
• Zhu Qiusheng (祝秋生) September 1989–February 1993
• Qiu Shengyun (邱胜云) March 1993–July 1996
• Wu Zurong (吴祖荣) August 1996–November 1999
• Zhang Chunxiang (张春祥) December 1999–March 2002
• Hu Yeshun (胡业顺) March 2002–September 2005
• Hua Jinzhou (华锦洲) September 2005–July 2006

Source:{{cite web |title=Chinese Cousul Generals to Houston(America) |url=https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/ziliao_665539/wjrw_665549/lrls_665575/bmdyz_665587/t164390.shtml |website=fmprc.gov.cn |publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China |access-date=16 August 2020}}

• Chinese intelligence activity abroad
• Chinese espionage in the United States
• History of Chinese Americans in Houston

{{reflist}}

• {{commons category-inline}}
• [http://houston.china-consulate.org/eng/ Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Houston]
• [http://houston.china-consulate.org/eng/index.htm Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Houston] (houston.china-consulate.org/eng/index.htm old site)
• [http://houston.china-consulate.org/chn/ Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Houston] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201181236/http://houston.china-consulate.org/chn/ |date=December 1, 2016 }} {{inlang|zh}}
• {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/*/http://www.chinahouston.org/|title=Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Houston (chinahouston.org)}}

{{China–United States relations}}

{{Diplomatic missions of China}}

{{Diplomatic missions in the United States}}

{{Authority control}}

China, P. R.

Houston

Category:Defunct diplomatic missions in the United States

Category:China–United States relations

Category:Neartown, Houston

Category:1979 establishments in Texas

Category:2020 disestablishments in Texas

Category:Government agencies established in 1979

Category:Government agencies disestablished in 2020