a complicated diplomatic problem. what happened on 16th of october 2022 was unacceptable and illegal. and the withdrawal of these chinese diplomats gives me a sense of closure. officials here at the foreign office say that china was aware that if the diplomats did not waive their immunity, then they would be declared persona non grata and expelled. instead, china choose to pre empt either option in a way that avoids further escalation. a chinese embassy spokesman said its staff had been the victims of the violence and the consul general had simply completed his term of office. james landale, bbc news. china is facing problems with stockpiling after it relaxed its most severe covid i9 policies last week. people have been rushing to buy ibu pro fen, cold medicines and covid testing kits amid reports of shortages. products for home remedies are now largely unavailable
but then some men come out of the gate. they kick down posters, remove others. a violent scuffle ensues. as a senior diplomat looks on, one of the protesters is dragged inside the gates and is attacked. police have to enter the consulate to drag him clear. the foreign office asked for six of these men to have their diplomatic immunity waived so they could be questioned by detectives. instead, china has called them home, including the consul general, the most senior diplomat, mr zheng xiyuan. the foreign secretary, james cleverly, said he was disappointed the men would not facejustice but. this demonstrates that our adherence to the rule of law, the seriousness with which we take these incidents, has had an effect. the protester who was attacked told the bbc this solved
immunity waived so they could be questioned by detectives. instead, china has called them home, including the consul general, the most senior diplomat, mr zheng xiyuan. the foreign secretary, james cleverly, said he was disappointed the men would not facejustice but. this demonstrates that our adherence to the rule of law, the seriousness with which we take these incidents, has had an effect. the protester who was attacked told the bbc this solved a complicated diplomatic problem. what happened on 16th of october 2022 was unacceptable and illegal. and the withdrawal of these chinese diplomats gives me a sense of closure. officials here at the foreign office say that china was aware that if the diplomats did not waive their immunity, then they would be declared persona non grata and expelled. instead, china choose to pre empt either option
in a way that avoids further escalation. a chinese embassy spokesman said its staff had been the victims of the violence and the consul general had simply completed his term of office. james landale, bbc news. china is facing problems with stockpiling after it relaxed its most severe covid i9 policies last week. people have been rushing to buy ibuprofen, cold medicines and covid testing kits amid reports of shortages. products for home remedies are now largely unavailable online, including lemons and canned peaches which are rich in vitamin c. let s take a look at some other stories in the headlines. peru has declared a state of emergency for the next 30 days. supporters of former president, pedro castillio, continue to protest, blocking the country s main roads and airports. mr castillo was impeached and detained for alleged