China's Houston Consulate Was 'Hub' of Spying, Says US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that the Chinese consulate in Houston which Washington has ordered shut was a center for espionage and operations to illegally obtain US companies' trade secrets.

"This week we closed down China's consulate in Houston because it was a hub of spying and intellectual property theft," Pompeo said in a California speech on China's threat to the world.

"China ripped off our prized intellectual property and trade secrets costing millions of jobs across America" he said.