The Chinese flag flies outside of the Chinese consulate in Houston after the US State Department requested China to close the consulate in Houston, Texas, July 22, 2020.
(MARK FELIX / AFP)
Cai Wei, China's consul general in Houston, said that China is protesting the closure order of its consulate in Texas and that his office will remain open "till further notice", according to a news report.
READ MORE: China informs US to close consulate in Chengdu
We prepared for the worst scenario, but we've also launched a strong protest … so we urge the US to abandon and revoke that wrong decision.
Cai Wei, China's consul general in Houston
"Today we are still operating normally, we will see what will happen tomorrow," Cai was quoted as saying by politico.com on Thursday.
Cai said Beijing has asked the US side to rescind its Tuesday order to close the consulate, which China said runs afoul of international agreements governing diplomatic relations.
"We think that the demand from the US side … is not according to the Vienna convention on consular affairs and also is not according to international practice or (diplomatic) norms, and it violates the China-US consular treaty," the report quoted Cai as saying.
"We prepared for the worst scenario, but we've also launched a strong protest … so we urge the US to abandon and revoke that wrong decision."
