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| LONDON — China withdrew six of its diplomats from Britain on Wednesday, ending a diplomatic standoff between London and Beijing over a violent clash that took place during a pro-democracy demonstration at the Chinese Consulate in the northern city of Manchester. |
| The British authorities had asked six Chinese diplomats to waive their official immunity to allow police to investigate how a protester from Hong Kong was injured after being dragged onto the consulate grounds and beaten on Oct. 16. |
| Instead, China decided to repatriate the six officials, including one of its senior diplomats, the consul general, Zheng Xiyuan. He has denied that he beat a protester, though not involvement in the incident. |
| In a statement, the Chinese Embassy said Mr. Zheng’s return to China was part of “a normal rotation of Chinese consular officers.” |
| The episode underscored the growing tension between the two nations as the British government hardens its policy toward Beijing, while still trying to engage with the Chinese government. Against the backdrop of China’s crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, Britain had offered visas to tens of thousands of residents of its former colony, a move that angered the authorities in Beijing. |
| In a speech last month, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain said that the “golden era” in relations with China was at an end, identifying the country as a “systemic challenge to our values and interests.” |
| He stopped short, however, of describing China as a threat and said that Western nations should work with Beijing on shared challenges such as climate change and the health of the global economy. |
| The diplomatic moves on Wednesday seemed in line with that carefully calibrated policy, resolving the incident in Manchester without formally expelling the Chinese diplomats from Britain. Such a step might have provoked a response from China and increased tensions. |
| Speaking in London, the foreign secretary, James Cleverly, said that a deadline for action set by Britain over the case had expired on Wednesday. |
| “In response to our request, the Chinese government have now removed from the U.K. those officials including the consul general himself,” Mr. Cleverly said. “This demonstrates that our adherence to the rule of law, the seriousness with which we take these incidents, has had an effect and we will continue on the world stage and domestically to abide by the rule of law and expect others to do likewise.” |
| Mr. Cleverly added that it was “right that the Chinese government have now removed these officials from the U.K.” |
| After the clash in Manchester, Bob Chan, the pro-democracy protester at the center of the dispute, told British media that, while demonstrating outside the consulate, he was dragged inside its grounds and attacked. |
| “I held on to the gate, where I was kicked and punched. I could not hold on for long and was eventually pulled into the grounds of the consul. It was then my hair was pulled, and I felt punches and kicks from several men,” Mr. Chan told a news conference, adding that the assault only stopped when a man who turned out to be a uniformed officer from the Greater Manchester Police pulled him outside the gate. |
| “I never thought that something like this could happen in the U.K.,” he added. |
| Speaking to Sky News, Mr. Zheng denied beating anybody but, when asked if he pulled Mr. Chan into the consulate by his hair, he accused the protester of abusing his country and leader, adding: “I think it’s my duty.” |
| In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Inter Parliamentary Alliance on China, an international group of legislators, Mr. Chan said that “while it may have taken two months for this to happen, I believe this is one way of solving this complicated diplomatic problem.” |
| “I relocated to this country with my family to live freely. What happened on 16 October 2022 was unacceptable and illegal, and the withdrawal of these Chinese diplomats gives me a sense of closure,” he added. |
| In its statement, the Chinese Embassy accused Britain of failing to “protect the safety and dignity” of the consulate. It called the protesters “violent rioters” and accused them of assaulting consulate personnel. |
| The departures were not enough to satisfy some of the most vocal critics of China in Britain’s Parliament, including Iain Duncan Smith, a senior Conservative Party lawmaker. He is one of a number of members of the British Parliament who has been sanctioned by China for spreading what it said were “lies and disinformation” about human rights abuses against ethnic minorities in Xinjiang. |
| “The flagrant assault on a peaceful democracy campaigner in Manchester needs more than allowing those responsible to leave the U.K. uncharged and with their heads held high,” Mr. Duncan Smith said in a statement. “Letting China take them back isn’t justice. We should have kicked them out weeks ago.” |
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