China strongly condemns the U.S. for asking China to close its Consulate General in Houston, Texas, urging it to recall its wrong decision or there will be countermeasures, said the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday. The U.S. abruptly asked China to close its Consulate General in Houston in 72 hours starting July 21. The move, according to U.S. State Department was to "protect Americans' intellectual property and private information." In response, China said the decision is a political provocation made by the U.S., which has seriously violated international law, basic norms of international relations as well as relevant provisions of the China-U.S. Consular Treaty, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.