China’s Wolf Warrior Diplomacy: Violence Toward UK Protesters

On Oct. 19, 2022, one Hong Kong expat involved in a protest outside the Chinese Consulate in Manchester, UK, held his first public press conference. He said that he was dragged into the consulate and beaten by several men, causing him to be hospitalized overnight for the injuries. Ben Stansall/AFP

Commentary Hong Kong residents are familiar with the aggressiveness of the Party cadres, who have become increasingly condescending  after the 1997 handover. Despite Article 22 of Hong Kong’s Basic Law explicitly stipulating that no department of the central government and no province may interfere in Hong Kong’s domestic affairs, the Liaison Office claims that it is not bound by this article and has the right to exercise “supervisory power” over the Hong Kong government.

Such leftism is, of course, not limited to Hong Kong. The latest case found outside mainland China took place on Oct. 16 in front of the Chinese consulate in Manchester, UK. As Hong Kong expats protested peacefully outside the consulate, members of the consular staff rushed out, confiscated a caricature of Xi Jinping by force, dragged a protester onto the consulate grounds, and then beat him up. Police on site managed to drag him out of the consulate gate and onto the public sidewalk.