Escalating conflict

The surprising decision of the United States government to order the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas, is just another step in the escalating conflict against the Asian nation, described as an "big threat" by the Donald Trump administration.

The excuse of protecting American intellectual property from Chinese espionage is not credible and is part of the confrontation started by the White House in 2018, when abusive extraordinary tariffs were applied on imported products from China.

Washington panics at China’s powerful growth, its economic, industrial, scientific and even sporting development, as well as the increasing influence of Beijing in the international community.

The Donald, like a spoiled child, is determined to stop that process, unaware that there are things that do not depend on his will, unless his goal is to bring the situation to an unthinkable and perverse scenario -- a possible war between the two powers, which could inevitably be nuclear.

So far, Chinese authorities have acted with restraint, competence and great dignity, avoiding the provocations that are frequently fabricated against them.

Before closing the consular office in Houston, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, declared that it is an unprecedented event, and that his country “will certainly make legitimate and necessary reactions” unless this situation is immediately reversed.

Shortly before, Foreign Minister Wang Yi had denounced that the United States is bringing bilateral relations to the brink of a new Cold War and assured that the two powers will lose in the event of a confrontation.  However, both will win if the U.S. shows a willingness to cooperate and work in the same direction.

The tension increased with the appearance of the COVID-19 pandemic, which Trump insists in calling "the Chinese virus."

Beijing has set an example to the world regarding disease control, even at times when almost everything about SARS -Cov 2 was unknown, and unlike the United States, it managed to contain and mitigate its effects.

Now that the world seems to be approaching a war for the vaccine, Chinese officials announced their intention to make the vaccine available to every human being.  On the other hand, the White House uses its gigantic financial power to appropriate millions of doses of a potential medication against COVID-19, even if that means leaving entire countries unprotected.

As everyone can easily see, the differences between Beijing and Washington are as clear as night and day.