US federal agents and law enforcement officers have entered the Chinese consulate compound here along with locksmiths after the mission was shut down, amidst spiralling tensions between Washington and Beijing.
The Chinese consulate located in Houston’s busy Montrose Boulevard for 40 years closed on Friday evening as the deadline set by the Trump administration to shut down the mission expired.
On Friday, the flag and the seal of the People’s Republic of China were taken down from outside the Houston consulate. Early in the morning, the consulate staff was seen removing their belongings from the building.