[4] The descendant of the ROC consulate still exists today, without diplomatic recognition, as the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston.

[11] The Houston consulate was accused of being part of a general Chinese espionage effort in the United States,[12] specifically stealing data on medical research and the oil and gas sector.

[13][14] In May 2020, an independent research report from the Center for Security and Emerging Technology found that, "Before its closure in the summer of 2020, the Chinese Consulate in Houston, Texas was a major hub in China’s global S&T information gathering operation.

[17] Within the hours after the announcement, videos emerged on Houston's locally broadcast KPRC-TV showing documents being burned in barrels in the courtyard of the consulate.

[11] Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin issued a statement in response requesting the U.S. to reverse the closure, threatening reciprocal actions (e.g. closing an American consulate in China) otherwise.