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China's consulate-general involved in violence at Manchester consulate, says British MP

China's consulate-general involved in violence at Manchester consulate, says British MP

Manchester China consulate

A British MP accused one of China's most senior diplomats in the United Kingdom of being involved in the assault on a protestor at the Chinese consulate in Manchester.

Alicia Kearns, a Conservative MP, told the House of Commons thatZheng Xiyuan, China'sconsul-general in Manchester, attacked the protester and was even caught on camera. Earlier, the British foreign ministry summoned a senior Chinese diplomat after footage emerged showing “apparent scenes of violence”.

The video showed a protestor getting assaulted by people who came out of the consulate during a pro-Hong Kong democracy protest. In the aftermath of the incident, both the foreign office as well as the office of prime minister Liz Truss called the situation “concerning” and ordered further investigation.

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On Tuesday, Foreign Office minister Jesse Norman told reporters that they were “extremely concerned” about the incident and have decided to summon Chinese chargé d’affaires in London.

“The house will know His Majesty’s government is extremely concerned at the apparent scenes of violence at the consulate of the People’s Republic ofChinain Manchester on Sunday afternoon.”

“I understand that Greater Manchester police have launched an investigation to establish the facts of the incident. The foreign secretary has issued a summons to the Chinese chargé d’affaires at the Chinese embassy in London to express His Majesty’s government’s deep concern at the incident and to demand an explanation for the actions of the consulate staff,” he added according to Reuters.

The protests featured slogans and posters regarding Chinese President Xi Jinping and according to media reports, they were organised to coincide with the ongoing Communist Party Congress in Beijing.

Earlier, Beijing’s foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin blamed “disturbing elements” for the incident at the consulate and said that outsiders had infiltrated the building. He also asked the British authorities to increase security for diplomatic buildings in order to avoid such incidents.