BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th August, 2020) Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday welcomed the returning diplomatic staff of the Houston consulate in the United States back to Beijing, state media said.
The diplomats landed at Beijing's Capital International Airport at roughly 7:30 p.m. (11:30 GMT), the China Global Television Network reported.
Wang Yi praised consulate workers for fulfilling their duties and serving national interests in the face of what he called an illegal decision made by the United States to close the diplomatic mission last month.
The minister said the closure proved that China's rivals were trying to sabotage the US-China relationship.
Washington abruptly ordered China on July 21 to shut the consulate in Houston, after accusing the diplomats of an attempted theft of US intellectual property. China retaliated by closing the US Chengdu consulate, which covered the Tibet region.
