The US on Wednesday confirmed that it ordered China to close its consulate in Houston “to protect American intellectual property” and the private information of Americans. China had condemned the move and threatened retaliatory measures.

“The United States will not tolerate [China’s] violations of our sovereignty and intimidation of our people, just as we have not tolerated (its) unfair trade practices, theft of American jobs, and other egregious behavior,” said a brief statement attributed to State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus.