Beijing, Oct 19 (ABC): China said Wednesday it has lodged a formal complaint with Britain over an altercation between its diplomats and a Hong Kong protester on the grounds of its Manchester consulate. British police have said a group of men came out of the consulate during a weekend demonstration, dragging one of the protesters inside the grounds and assaulting him.
The incident has drawn widespread condemnation in Britain and triggered an international row that saw the UK foreign office summon a senior Chinese diplomat. Beijing said Wednesday its diplomats were not to blame for the altercation. “Due to lawless elements’ malicious harassment and illegal entry to the Chinese Consulate-General in Manchester, this caused Chinese personnel to be wounded and threatened the security of the Chinese premises,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters at a routine briefing. Beijing had already “made representations” to British authorities and urged London to do more to protect Chinese diplomats, he added.