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News that the US ordered closure of Chinese consulate in Houston is important. This good @EmilyZFeng @MorningEdition audio report highlights local news in Houston (burning docs!) & also value of consulate to on-the-ground info gathering & diplomacy. 1/6 https://www.npr.org/2020/07/22/894082208/u-s-orders-chinas-houston-consulate-to-close
That last point is consistent with rise of research on value of face-to-face diplomacy and what diplomatic outposts actually do. See research by @YarhiMilo @jrenshon @Prof_MHolmes @WheelerICCS and others. 2/6
Of course, read the great @jessicacweiss on what the consulate closure means 3/6 https://twitter.com/jessicacweiss/status/1285952465754521600
And in reviewing our newly published @monkeycageblog topic guide on China, two important pieces seem freshly relevant. One is @shifrinson from Feb 2019 on why we should not rush to call it a "new Cold War": 4/6 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2019/02/08/there-isnt-a-new-cold-war-with-china-for-these-4-reasons/:
And here is @dmedelstein in @monkeycageblog in Oct 2018. This line got attention and is still important: "It is easier to appreciate the rising tension between Washington and Beijing than it is to identify what exactly they are competing over." 5/6 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/10/25/a-more-assertive-beijing-raises-new-questions-for-u-s-china-relations/
Obviously a lot has happened since then (and you can read all our recent China coverage at the new @monkeycageblog topic guide on China!). But it is still important to ask what justifies reducing US-China diplomatic interaction. 6/6 https://monkeycagetopicguides.org/
