chinese students in us
HOUSTON, TX - JULY 22: A person speaks to a security guard outside of the Chinese consulate after the United States ordered China to close its doors on July 22, 2020 in Houston, Texas. According to the State Department, the U.S. government ordered the closure of the Chinese consulate "in order to protect American intellectual property and Americans' private information." Source: Go Nakamura/Getty Images/AFP

Chinese students in US colleges and universities have been warned by their government to “be on guard” for arbitrary interrogations and detention. The warning came Wednesday hours after the US ordered the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston within 72 hours, reported AFP.

“Recently, US law enforcement agencies have stepped up arbitrary interrogations, harassment, confiscation of personal belongings and detention targeting Chinese international students in the US,” said a social media statement by the foreign ministry.

The US accused China of economic espionage and alleged theft of scientific research escalating US-Chinese tensions further.

China has called the move illegal. The New York Times reported that consulate employees burned papers in metal barrels in the courtyard of the Houston consulate.

chinese students in us

A sign is illuminated by sunlight at the Chinese consulate in Houston on July 22, 2020. Chinese students in US have been warned following US-Chinese tensions ratcheted up another notch on Wednesday when the US ordered the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston within 72 hours. China reacted angrily to the US move, which came a day after the unveiling of a US indictment of two Chinese nationals for allegedly hacking hundreds of companies worldwide. Source: Mark Felix/AFP

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