Chinese vs. UK: what’s behind the latest diplomatic incident?

“On October 16, a Chinese pro-democracy activist was dragged into the consulate gardens by several officials, who beat him up.”. This is how Euronews recalls the last impasse -happened in Manchester- between the United Kingdom Y Chinaand that once again put the magnifying glass on the situation of Hong Kong.

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So the British Foreign Office asked its Asian counterparts to “lift diplomatic immunity to those involved”. The regime led by Xi Jinping He responded with his customary silence.

Just after two months, China took action on the matter. This is how he reported it James Cleverly, British Foreign Secretarywho on Wednesday the 14th tweeted: “Six Chinese consulate officials, including the consul general, have left the United Kingdom after the outrageous incident”.

They are not the only outraged.

The violence at China’s consulate in Manchester was unacceptable.

6 Chinese consulate officials, including the Consul General, are being removed from the UK following the disgraceful incident in October. pic.twitter.com/nxyqtJ1627

—James Cleverly???????? (@JamesCleverly) December 14, 2022

The spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang Wenbin, declared shortly after the impasse that the protesters entered the consulate illegally. While Zheng Xiyuan, until recently consul generalhe wrote to the Manchester police complaining that he had not “promptly intervened to prevent” problems.

Marco Carrasco, professor of East Asian Studies at the Faculty of Law and Political Science of the U. de San Marcoshighlights that the Chinese government formalized the withdrawal of its personnel arguing that it is part of its usual rotation. Although it is inevitable to think that the decision responds to the fact that “their immunity does not expire and the investigations raised do not proceed” by the police Greater Manchesterthat “opened a criminal investigation” after the abuses against Bob Chanthe man who was dragged and beaten.

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Of course, those of Xi responded strongly.

Wenbin argued that if the United Kingdom no guarantee “seriously the normal operation of Chinese diplomatic and consular missions”, China “will not fail to respond firmly, forcefully and to the same extent”.

More problems

Wenbin also accused the United Kingdom to ally withviolent separatists” for manipulate them politically. For Carrasco, therein lies the background to the problems between the two countries.

Because it is not that the protests in Manchester happened on any given day; on the contrary, they were given on the opening day of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

There, Xi announced that the plan to finalize the annexation of Hong Kong to mainland China is still on the agenda.

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“There is a duality of perception about the case of Hong Kong. In the West, these kinds of claims are seen as promoting democracy, while in China they are often seen as promoting separatism.”, remarks Carrasco.

However, adds the specialist, the positions on Hong Kong They are not the only ones that enter into these bilateral relations that “they have cooled down quite markedly”. The matter has been discussed since before the fall of Boris Johnson.

In July of this year,the heads of the Intelligence services of the United Kingdom and the United Statesthey announced that China represented “the most dangerous long-term threat to the security of West”. They both said that Beijing I was already drivinga major secret economic and political offensive”.

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Hong Kong pro-democracy protester Bob Chan holds a press conference in London on October 19, 2022, after being beaten at the Chinese consulate in Manchester. AFP (BEN STANSALL /)

then when Rishi Sunak Y Liz Truss They were summoned to take charge of Prime Ministerthe topic returned.

While Truss accused Xi’s of “commit genocide against uighurs in xinjiang”, Sunak was “ambivalent”. Initially, he wanted closer ties with Beijing, but when he took over as UK leader, he pointed to China What “the greatest threat to Britain and the security and prosperity of the world in this century”.

And then, at the end of November, he maintained that “the golden age of UK-China relations” there was “finished”. It was his response to the arrest of a BBC journalist covering protests in Shanghai.

Carrasco adds: “And in the West there is not much talk about the attempts of the Chinese embassy in London to expand its infrastructure. The local council opposed the proposal, which also shows how the relationship became complicated at various levels”.

Officially, permission was denied to preserve in good condition The Royal Mint Courtbought in 2018 by China, and the ruins dating from the 14th century that are located below the building.

“It should not surprise us that other events, related to Hong Kong or not, they continue to happen, and that the tensions between the two countries increase”, concludes Carrasco.

Source: Elcomercio