Chinese envoy says Beijing ‘not interested in a diplomatic war’ with Britain
- Ambassador Liu Xiaoming says he was ‘very much’ angry when he blasted London over its position on extradition bill protests in Hong Kong
- He says some British politicians are using ‘cold war mentality language’
China’s ambassador to London on Sunday said Beijing was “not interested in a diplomatic war” with Britain, after a week of trading barbs over Hong Kong, and that it had “full confidence” the city’s government could handle the situation there.
Liu Xiaoming said he was “very much” angry when he lambasted London last week over its position on protests against an extradition bill that have rocked Hong Kong, telling the BBC in an interview that it was important for China and Britain to cooperate.
“We are not interested in a diplomatic war with the UK. We are still committed in building a stronger relationship, partnership … we are still committed to this golden era between the two countries,” Liu said, referring to a phrase coined by former British prime minister David Cameron in 2015.
The ambassador’s latest remarks come amid an escalating row between Beijing and London over Hong Kong’s most serious political crisis since the handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997.
A proposed law that would allow people to be extradited to mainland China has seen mass protests in the city of up to 2 million people in the past month, leading the Hong Kong government to suspend the bill. But protesters are continuing to demand its complete withdrawal, and some resorted to breaking into Hong Kong’s legislature on Monday night.