Beijing says ‘troublemakers’ illegally entered its consulate in Manchester as British and Hong Kong leaders weigh in
- Man who identifies himself as Hongkonger complains he was dragged into compound grounds and beaten up during protest
- British foreign minister summons top Chinese envoy to meet and provide explanation for incident
China’s foreign ministry on Tuesday said “troublemakers” had illegally entered its consulate in the British city of Manchester after a video emerged that appeared to show a brawl between protesters and staff during a demonstration by Hong Kong independence activists over the weekend.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Liz Truss expressed “deep concerns” over the incident, noting local police were investigating, while the country’s foreign minister summoned a top Chinese envoy to meet on Tuesday afternoon to demand an explanation.
Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu, meanwhile, said he was confident British authorities would act in accordance with the law and diplomatic conventions.
Jesse Norman, the British minister of state, told a meeting of the House of Commons that the country’s government was “extremely concerned” at the “apparent scenes of violence” in Manchester.
“The foreign secretary has issued a summons to the Chinese charge d’affaires at the Chinese embassy in London to express His Majesty’s government’s deep concern over the incident and to demand an explanation for the actions of the consulate staff,” he said, with the meeting set to go ahead on Tuesday afternoon in the UK.
But he stopped short of revealing any further details on the case, noting that Greater Manchester Police were already investigating.
Asked whether Chinese officials involved in the incident would be prosecuted or expelled from the UK, Norman said: “It is up to our independent police and Crown Prosecution Service to decide first on the facts of the matter, and then on whether prosecution should be brought.”