LONDON: China has expelled six British diplomats, including its consul general, after they were accused of attacking a Hong Kong protester in the northern English city of Manchester.
According to Britain's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, the six envoys left the country by a Wednesday deadline set by London for them to waive their diplomatic immunity and be questioned by police about the incident in October.
Hong Kong's Bob Chan claimed Chinese diplomats dragged him inside their compound and "barbarized" him during an anti-Beijing protest, prompting Greater Manchester Police to launch a criminal investigation.
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Tactfully said Wednesday, "We requested that the six Chinese officials waive diplomatic immunity so that they can be questioned as part of that investigation.
"The deadline for them to act," he continued, was to inform the Chinese embassy in London. Cleverly pointed out that the Chinese government had now expelled those officials from the UK, including the Consul General, in response to their requests.
The top diplomat for Britain claimed the city's response showed its "adherence to the rule of law" and how seriously it takes these incidents.
The response was tactfully reprimanded by China's embassy in Britain on Wednesday for making "irresponsible remarks by distorting the facts".
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The Chinese embassy released a statement on its website claiming that "the British government failed to effectively prevent the intrusion and attack by those rioters and to protect the premises and members of the Chinese Consulate General."
The UK side has been acting in an irresponsible and disrespectful manner, and has no regard for justice or the rule of law, the statement continued, adding that they had launched "serious representations" with the UK regarding the matter.
Following the release of video evidence supporting the pro-democracy protester's claims, the UK Foreign Office Department summoned China's charge d'affaires Yang Xiaoguang to London in October.
One of Britain's top diplomats to China, Consul General Zheng Zhiyuan, was accused of being present at the Manchester protest site and tearing down posters during a peaceful demonstration.
The removal of six Chinese envoys will please conservative hardliners on China who have called for their expulsion and accused the UK government of appeasing Beijing.
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In response to the news, MP Alicia Kearns, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said the "six" fled the UK like cowards, making their crime clear.
She continued in a statement: "The Foreign Office must now declare those people persona non grata, and make clear they are not welcome back in the UK.