China warns protecting Hong Kong protesters will spell ‘disaster’ for Britain

After a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester was dragged and attacked on the Chinese consulate grounds in Manchester, there has been hue and cry over the matter. UK had called the matter unacceptable and strongly condemned it.

Now China has warned that protecting such protesters in the UK will “bring disaster” to Britain and may impact trade relations. A Chinese spokesperson denounced the protesters, calling the gatherings “violent” and cautioned against protecting them.

“There’s nothing peaceful about the protest at all”, said Minister Yang Xiaoguang of the Chinese Embassy.

“Protecting and sheltering the Hong Kong independent elements will only, in the end, bring disaster to Britain”, he continued.

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On October 16, Bob Chan was dragged into the grounds of the consulate and allegedly beaten by diplomats, including Consul-General Zheng Xiyuan. The consulate staff had told the protesters to move to the opposite side of the street. After the scene turned ugly, several police officers turned up at the site and tried to push the protesters back. One of them then entered the consulate and pulled the man out.

Foreign Office minister Jesse Norman had told reporters that they were “extremely concerned” about the incident. The protests featured slogans and posters regarding Chinese President Xi Jinping and according to media reports, they were organised to coincide with the Communist Party Congress in Beijing. 

People of the Hong Kong community have called on the authorities to take steps to ensure their safety in light of the incident. Chan has called for the embassy to be shut down and the staff evicted from the country.

(With inputs from agencies)