UK summons Chinese ambassador over beating and arrest of BBC journalist
The UK government has summoned China’s ambassador to London over the beating and arrest of a BBC journalist in Shanghai.
Foreign secretary James Cleverly called ambassador Zheng Zeguang to the Foreign Office, with department sources calling the incident “completely unacceptable”.
BBC journalist Ed Lawrence was beaten and arrested by Shanghai police yesterday, while reporting on anti-government protests railing against the country’s zero-Covid policy.
Lawrence was released after several hours, with Chinese authorities first claiming he was arrested for not presenting his press credentials and then later saying he was detained to protect him from catching Covid.
A BBC spokesperson said these claims by the Chinese government were not “a credible explanation”.
A Foreign Office source said: “The BBC has been clear one of their journalists was detained and beaten by police when covering these protests.
“We have made it clear this behaviour by the Chinese authorities is completely unacceptable.”
It comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak decried Beijing’s authoritarianism during a Guildhall speech last night, while also calling for closer “cooperation and engagement” on major global issues.
“Instead of listening to their people’s protests, the Chinese Government has chosen to crack down further, including by assaulting a BBC journalist,” he said.
He added: “Of course, we cannot simply ignore China’s significance in world affairs – to global economic stability or issues like climate change.
“The US, Canada, Australia, Japan and many others understand this too. So together we’ll manage this sharpening competition, including with diplomacy and engagement.”
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the UK was guilty of “hypocritical double standards”.
He said the UK had been involved in “a grave interference in China’s internal affairs”.
He said: “How come the BBC is always involved in trouble at the scene?”
“Foreign journalists need to consciously follow Chinese laws and regulations.”
Protests have broken out across China, after claims the government’s strict Covid rules prevented residents from escaping a burning Xinjiang block of flats which killed 10 people.
Beijing has maintained its strict Covid-zero policies, with mandatory self-isolation for positive cases and rolling lockdowns in place across the country.