U.S. tells China to shut Houston consulate in move China calls 'unprecedented escalation'

[rabas]

1 hour ago, Eric Loh said:

The Chinese consulate was given just 3 days to move out and to be taken back by US agencies. Normal for consulate to burn their documents and not risk those documents in wrong hands. When Russia closed the American consulate in Moscow in 2018, US staffs burnt their documents too. 

That was the Russian consulate in San Francisco.

 

https://www.newsweek.com/russian-consulate-mysteriously-burns-unidentified-objects-after-trump-orders-658708

[Isaan sailor]

4 hours ago, DaftToPutRealName said:

In about a week when your Thai made wrenches inexplicably start warping; buy the Bosch ????

Would that I could.  Mie mee Bosch!

[metisdead]

Off topic posts, troll posts and the replies have been removed. 

[Eric Loh]

2 hours ago, Calvin1976 said:

Heard some jokes like "They are having "barbecue party" to clear the food which stock up in their refrigerator as soon as possible, only 72 hours given" ????

Paper scraper also not safe enough? 

Might be a relief for the diplomats and consulate staff also, able to go back CPP and stay far from the virus.

 

Just wonder which US consulate in CPP may need to have the "barbecue party" soon under CCP countermeasures. ????

Beijing? Wuhan? Shanghai? Chengdu? Shenyang? Guangzhou?

Last but not least, Hong Kong.

It’s only a consulate not the embassy. China will make the usual diplomatic tat for tat noise but doubt they will take Trump’s bait and close US consulate. Xi fully understand this just Trump succumbing to the China hawks in his administration and the neocons that support him outside & he just a term President. Xi is enjoying a spell of nationalism in China. 

[Jack Hna]

One of the issues that could organically change things for China is the internet. The internet has made a big error and consumers are not actually aware where a product is produced at point of purchase. 

 

Should be Law about it ensuring consumers know where item comes from at point of purchase. If consumers were more aware sellers would automatically factor their products origin assortment and it would create a new purchasing factor and create more interest in other countries products.

 

Lazada do this to an extent already by ensuring buyers know goods ship from China.

[audaciousnomad]

The rabbit hole goes deeper. There is now an alleged former Chinese PLA soldier who committed visa fraud to enter the U.S.  After being interrogated by the FBI, she fled and is holed up inside the Chinese consulate in San Francisco.

There's your escalation...

[FritsSikkink]

6 hours ago, DaftToPutRealName said:

Easy one here - the bunch of idiots in the media who called him racist and xenophobic for closing down the borders, told everyone that being afraid of a virus from China was racist, and that we had more to fear from the yearly flu.

How quickly they ate their words, and now Trump didn't do enough and it's the "Trump" virus. Must be nice to be able to have a memory that only operates on a 3 week cycle.

They are calling Trump a racist because he is one.

[Isaan sailor]

China is a huge spy ring.  They threaten their expats that their families may disappear if they don’t bring back stolen info from western countries.

[Dumbastheycome]

21 minutes ago, Isaan sailor said:

China is a huge spy ring.  They threaten their expats that their families may disappear if they don’t bring back stolen info from western countries.

Do they? Or is that just  more typical "political" amnesty tales?

It is undeniable that the CCP probably does extort and target selected individuals  but the legends generated are probably often an exaggeration for the purpose of selling the story for varied reason.

In equivalent  or as much degree "friendly"  Governments are also guilty of "leaning" on people for less than and by "unaccepted " ethical cause  or method.

Espionage/Counter Espionage is a factor of (probably) every Nation to an extent ranging from  global to internal capacity.

It is  laughable and  naive to believe that the USA does  not  indulge itself via agencies known or unknown for reason for reason less than "security purposes  only ". Or any other Nation.

I am not at all in sympathy with the CCP but I have serious doubts about the  Corporate monopolistic agenda persistently eminating  from the USA propelled  by a moronic POTUS  and backed  by militarist  threat!

Why is  so conveniently ignored that the economic boom China achieved was made possible by the greed of Western  Corporates  who flocked to take advantage of a  country that offered the opportunity China openly  negotiated and accommodated?

It seems  never mind that it  was/is  some "dastardly " communist controlled location while profiteering  was of primary consideration ! "Quality" was never a criteria in the agenda. In fact contrary to consumerism that has prevailed and propelled the agenda of  Corporate interests.

25 years ago I purchased  items in the USA that at the time was competing for international trade. Those items were of quite high quality, inexpensive and I still possess a couple of them to this day.

When it came to the  time when the greed of Corporate interests demanded  "volume  but  cheap" China responded to the request. China did  not  "steal" jobs. China was  given jobs and productivity! It used  the advantage it was  gifted.

During this time of diving into  delerious  consumerism that subtley  devolved  into economic mayhem globally a new  common enemy was identified as a distraction.

The USSR was long gone but  eventually  the "Islamic" threat was the new  feature established  by the 9/11 spectacle.

The hunt was on! "Despots" who previously  great customers of the real powers were summarily  displaced  or removed from positions they had  either been supported  to achieve or had been  "allowed" to achieve.

The  military enforcement of this  "salvation" led to the massive exodus of people who naturally enough  just wanted  to  live a  safer life.

But/so the suspicion of the element of  "terrorist"  agenda continued  that focus and arguably created it as a result. The  reality remains  that the  conflicts generated/are still generating a humanitarian disaster.

In the public  domain  now irrelevant.

Prior to the  Covid-19  preoccupation which unheralded is also devastating refugee camps but which is  media  wise  irrelevant  to the impact  on the  consumer  world who want to complain about  an interruption in  favourite  consumer items  or the quality thereof is demonstration  of  how  callous an animal we  are !

Do I feel safe? I am undecided.

Not from any direct threat of  C-19 although in the higher risk age group.

I feel more at risk and  worried   about  my children and  grandchildren's future  because  POTUS who IMO consistently  displays  the  dangerous attributes of a psychopath whose  only  real interest is in having and retaining the position with  no comprehension of the genuine role of  that position.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nattaya09]

If there's going to be tit for tat consulate closings, then hit the consulate in San Francisco next as it's headquarters for their Silicon Valley spy ring.

[steven100]

houston .....  we have a problem   

[Logosone]

21 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

The Chinese consulate was given just 3 days to move out and to be taken back by US agencies. Normal for consulate to burn their documents and not risk those documents in wrong hands. When Russia closed the American consulate in Moscow in 2018, US staffs burnt their documents too. 

If you're suggesting the Chinese consulate was not involved in spying it looks like you're wrong:

 

The Trump administration's decision to close China's consulate in Houston on Wednesday came after years of FBI intelligence-gathering showed it was a hot spot of Chinese spying in the U.S., and President Donald Trump has been kept informed about its activities since soon after he took office, U.S. officials told NBC News.

 

Multiple U.S. officials said that the Houston consulate has long been used by the Chinese government to steal valuable medical research and that it was involved in attempts to infiltrate the oil and natural gas industries. 

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/chinese-consulate-houston-was-hotspot-spying-say-u-s-officials-n1234634

[Grumpy one]

8 minutes ago, Logosone said:

If you're suggesting the Chinese consulate was not involved in spying it looks like you're wrong:

 

The Trump administration's decision to close China's consulate in Houston on Wednesday came after years of FBI intelligence-gathering showed it was a hot spot of Chinese spying in the U.S., and President Donald Trump has been kept informed about its activities since soon after he took office, U.S. officials told NBC News.

 

Multiple U.S. officials said that the Houston consulate has long been used by the Chinese government to steal valuable medical research and that it was involved in attempts to infiltrate the oil and natural gas industries. 

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/chinese-consulate-houston-was-hotspot-spying-say-u-s-officials-n1234634

How can anyone believe what the US say

After the B/S about Weapons of Mass Destruction, and now trump carrying on Anything they say should be treated as probable porkies

[Logosone]

15 minutes ago, Grumpy one said:

How can anyone believe what the US say

After the B/S about Weapons of Mass Destruction, and now trump carrying on Anything they say should be treated as probable porkies

Indeed one should guard about lies told by government, but here we have a Democrat senator heading the intelligence committee and the case looks clear:

 

Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, told NBC News' Katy Tur that he wouldn't discuss the specific intelligence behind Wednesday's closure.

 

"But I can tell you for the last two years," he said, "I and other members of the intel committee have been holding classified briefings with business leaders and academic leaders about the concerted efforts of the Chinese Communist Party to steal our intellectual property, to steal it from companies, to steal it from universities, to be on better guard."

 

Warner suggested that Wednesday's action was driven by the FBI and its intelligence. Current and former federal law enforcement officials applauded the move, saying it was a strong message that was overdue to be delivered to the Chinese government.

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/chinese-consulate-houston-was-hotspot-spying-say-u-s-officials-n1234634

[Rimmer]

A youtube video from an unproved source has been removed

[3NUMBAS]

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/water-wars-mekong-river-another-065913303.html

 

News

Water wars: Mekong River another front in U.S.- China rivalry

[galenflagler]

14 hours ago, Logosone said:

Indeed one should guard about lies told by government, but here we have a Democrat senator heading the intelligence committee and the case looks clear:

 

Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, told NBC News' Katy Tur that he wouldn't discuss the specific intelligence behind Wednesday's closure.

 

"But I can tell you for the last two years," he said, "I and other members of the intel committee have been holding classified briefings with business leaders and academic leaders about the concerted efforts of the Chinese Communist Party to steal our intellectual property, to steal it from companies, to steal it from universities, to be on better guard."

 

Warner suggested that Wednesday's action was driven by the FBI and its intelligence. Current and former federal law enforcement officials applauded the move, saying it was a strong message that was overdue to be delivered to the Chinese government.

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/chinese-consulate-houston-was-hotspot-spying-say-u-s-officials-n1234634

Mark Warner doesn't head the Senate Intelligence Committee. He's the ranking Democrat. Marco Rubio, a Republican, is the acting head.

This is the same committee with a Republican majority, that found Russians had aimed to help Trump in the 2016 elections.

Good to see that you approve of their non-partisan efforts.

 

Edited July 24, 2020 by galenflagler

[tgw]

this is amazing, it looks the US are unrolling a playbook to escalate a conflict with the Chinese

[galenflagler]

15 hours ago, tgw said:

this is amazing, it looks the US are unrolling a playbook to escalate a conflict with the Chinese

And the Trump administration doesn't really seem to have a plan based either on principles or on any appreciation of reality if remarks like this are any indication:

"Following his speech, during a Q&A period moderated by conservative columnist Hugh Hewitt, Pompeo hailed Russia as a great potential ally against China, saying nothing about Vladimir Putin’s own indulgence in the same sins—violating human rights and threatening American democracy—for which he condemns the CCP. Again, no one will take this talk seriously; the next time Putin and Xi talk, they might giggle about it."

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/07/pompeo-china-cold-war.html

[Morch]

6 hours ago, galenflagler said:

And the Trump administration doesn't really seem to have a plan based either on principles or on any appreciation of reality if remarks like this are any indication:

"Following his speech, during a Q&A period moderated by conservative columnist Hugh Hewitt, Pompeo hailed Russia as a great potential ally against China, saying nothing about Vladimir Putin’s own indulgence in the same sins—violating human rights and threatening American democracy—for which he condemns the CCP. Again, no one will take this talk seriously; the next time Putin and Xi talk, they might giggle about it."

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/07/pompeo-china-cold-war.html

 

We've always had peace with Eurasia.

[shdmn]

I sure hope Americans are not sucked into believing any of these political distractions again.