FP China Brief: Why did Trump shut down the Houston consulate?
What is the point of all this? The barely explained closure is part of a series of provocative steps rolled out in recent weeks by the Trump administration, including planned weekly indictments in espionage cases. China is a consistently bad actor in the relationship, including constant harassment against U.S. personnel in China, wild allegations of CIA plots, and large-scale cyberattacks all of which have recently ramped up as Beijing cracks down in Hong Kong, rattles sabers in the South China Sea, and continues its assault against the Uighur people.
But some Trump staff seem to think of reciprocal action as a goal in itself. If there is an end goal other than a dubious election strategy it may be to force U.S. companies into a position of such uncertainty in China that they begin decoupling from the country voluntarily. At any rate, expect the relationship to get much worse in the immediate future.