Is the Chinese Consulate-General in Houston a hub of spying?

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in his recent speech at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, negated every aspect of China-US relations, maliciously attacked the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and China's political system, and attempted to drive a wedge between the CPC and the Chinese people. He also wantonly criticized China's domestic and foreign policies, spread the so-called "China threat", and called for an anti-China alliance to contain China's development.

Pompeo's baseless, fact-distorting speech misrepresents history and the reality. It is full of ideological prejudice and driven by a Cold-War mentality. His remarks have not only been condemned by the Chinese people, but also criticized and opposed by sensible people in the United States as well as the international community.

To debunk the lies fabricated by Pompeo, let the facts speak for themselves.

Rumor:

Mike Pompeo: The Chinese Consulate-General in Houston is a hub of spying and intellectual property theft.

Fact:

The United States fabricated false charges and forcibly closed the Chinese Consulate-General in Houston, with the aim of pushing for a "decoupling" between China and the United States. It is an important part of the US strategy to suppress China and is strongly opposed by the vast majority of rational Americans.

-- The Consulate-General in Houston was the first Chinese consular mission opened in the United States following the establishment of China-US diplomatic ties. In the past 41 years, it has worked hard to promote friendship and cooperation between the two peoples, and enhance mutual understanding and all-round cooperation between the two countries in various sectors. While COVID-19 raged on in the southern US states, the Consulate-General donated masks to Houston and Harris County, and assisted Shanghai Municipality, Shandong Province and Shenzhen City of China in donating medical supplies to Houston.

-- The composition and number of the staff at the Consulate-General in Houston was open information to the US side. To accuse the Consulate-General as the hub of Chinese spying and intellectual property theft runs against the common sense in diplomacy. Reports from Cable News Network (CNN), Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Houston Chronicle and British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) showed that closing the Chinese Consulate-General prior to the election was a measure by Trump to "play tough on China", hold up his declining approval rating and turn China into a convenient target to vilify and shore up votes. The New York Times questioned the assertion that "the Houston Consulate-General had a history of engaging in 'subversive behavior' and was the 'epicenter' of research theft in the United States", and believes that there is no evidence to support this allegation. Shocked by the decision of the US government, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner expressed his hope that whatever the friction may be between the United States and China [it] can be resolved peacefully and that at some point in time the Consulate-General will reopen.

-- An editorial of The Houston Chronicle said China is the second-largest trading partner of the Houston region, and the region has benefited greatly from having the Consulate-General in the city. For more than 40 years, the Chinese Consulate-General has served as a symbolic bridge, facilitating travel, trade and cultural ties between Houston and China.