UK summons China envoy over journalist arrest

The Chinese ambassador to the UK, Zheng Zeguang, has been summoned to the Foreign Office for a gathering pursuing the apprehension of a BBC writer successful Shanghai.

A Foreign Office root said this was "completely unacceptable".

The Chinese authorities said Mr Lawrence had not voluntarily presented his property credentials.

Footage shared wide connected societal media showed respective constabulary officers grabbing Mr Lawrence and pinning him to the ground. The BBC said helium was beaten and kicked by constabulary officers, and past taken distant successful handcuffs.

The BBC has described the attraction of 1 of its journalists arsenic "extremely concerning".

It said Chinese officials had claimed Mr Lawrence was arrested "for his ain bully successful lawsuit helium caught Covid from the crowd", but said this mentation was not "credible".

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who is presently successful Romania, said the apprehension was "deeply disturbing".

"Journalists indispensable beryllium capable to bash their occupation without intimidation," Mr Cleverly said.

Responding to an urgent question successful the Commons, Foreign Office Minister David Rutley said the Chinese ambassador was being summoned to marque wide the "unacceptable and unwarranted" quality of the apprehension and to request "a afloat and thorough explanation".

On Monday, China's overseas ministry spokesperson said: "Based connected what we learned from applicable Shanghai authorities, [Mr Lawrence] did not place himself arsenic a writer and didn't voluntarily contiguous his property credentials."

A Foreign Office root said: "Protests successful China that impact disapproval of the authorities and enactment are rare. That Chinese citizens who cognize the risks and consequences of specified actions are doing it anyhow should beryllium a awesome to the Chinese authorities to perceive to their ain people."

Labour's shadiness overseas affairs curate Catherine West welcomed the ambassador being summoned.

"The robust effect is simply a invited alteration to the government's erstwhile handling of Chinese overreach successful Manchester," she told the Commons.

Conservative MP Tim Loughton called for "clear consequences" for China's actions, asking: "When are we going to get superior astir China?"

Protests against the Chinese authorities and its Covid lockdown policies person erupted crossed a fig of Chinese cities aft a deadly occurrence successful the occidental portion of Xinjiang killed 10 radical past week.

Many judge residents could not flight the blaze successful a locked-down flat operation successful the metropolis of Urumqi due to the fact that of Covid restrictions, though section authorities person disputed this.

Public choler implicit the calamity - conscionable the latest successful a bid of disasters blamed connected Covid restrictions - escalated into thoroughfare protests.

In a code astatine the Lord Mayor's Banquet successful London connected Monday, Mr Sunak said the person economical tries of the erstwhile decennary had been "naive" but that China's value successful satellite affairs could not beryllium ignored.

Mr Sunak has faced unit from Tory backbenchers to toughen the UK's stance connected China since helium took implicit arsenic premier curate past month.