China has slammed Britain’s foreign secretary for providing an erroneous description of a confrontation outside the Chinese embassy in Manchester in October.
Without giving evidence, China’s embassy in London stated on its website that the clash was a “violent disruptive provocation” prepared purposefully by anti-China groups.
In a written address to the UK Parliament on Wednesday, James Cleverly said social media photographs of the encounter revealed “absolutely appalling behavior by a number of persons” near the consular entry, adding that the freedom to free expression was fundamental to democracy.
On the opening day of the Communist Party’s 20th Party Congress in Beijing, hundreds of demonstrators battled with embassy officials who attempted to remove protest banners critical of the Communist Party and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
A guy was pulled into the consulate and abused, according to Greater Manchester Police. Another guy, shown later entering the embassy, was pushed down at the consular gate and kicked by individuals yelling Cantonese slurs.
Cleverly also stated on Twitter that the police had requested that six Chinese officials renounce their diplomatic immunity so that they may be questioned as part of an inquiry into the incident. He claimed China has withdrawn those personnel, including Consul General Zheng Xiyuan, at the request of the British government before the waiver’s deadline on Wednesday.
The Chinese embassy in London stated that Zheng had finished his term and returned to China as part of an usual rotation, but did not mention the five other officials who Cleverly claimed were removed.
The embassy also accused the British government of supporting with Hong Kong independence demonstrators and blaming diplomatic workers when they were victims.
“The Chinese side finds this very unacceptable. We have initiated grave representations with the UK on this,” it said, adding that the UK should “reflect on itself” and quit harboring “anti-China groups”.
In an email, the British Foreign Office stated that it had no more comment beyond Cleverly’s statement to Parliament and his tweets, and that it had no reaction to the Chinese embassy’s statement.
In his address to Parliament, Cleverly said the UK expected a standard of behaviour from ambassadors and consular employees “regardless of their privileges and immunities”.
“The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations permits governments to withdraw personnel of consular posts at any time,” he explained. “However, I am unhappy that these people will not be interrogated or prosecuted.”
According to the embassy, Zheng last appeared in public in the UK on December 4, when the consulate met with Chinese students there to explain China’s zero-Covid policy and Xi’s philosophy amid nationwide demonstrations over severe lockdown regulations. Students from China’s mainland had also demonstrated at Beijing’s diplomatic missions throughout the world, including the embassy in London.
In an interview with Sky News in October, Zheng stated that it was his responsibility to pull a protester’s hair since he had “abused” his nation and leader. Zheng was videotaped during the encounter taking down a flag that used expletives to insult the Communist Party.