The Chinese authorities have accused on Tuesday the security forces of the United Kingdom of carrying out "arbitrary" detentions of Chinese citizens on British territory and subjecting them to "long interrogations" while they remained in custody, which represents a new spike in diplomatic tension between both countries.
During a press conference, the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guo Jiakun, stated that these citizens have also suffered the "seizure of their mobile phones and other electronic devices" by British border agents, according to the newspaper 'Global Times'.
Guo expressed his "serious concern" and his "strong condemnation" for what Beijing considers "excessive" actions by the British authorities against Chinese nationals. As a consequence, the Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom has decided to issue a travel alert directed at its citizens due to the risk of possible arrests.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also submitted a formal note of protest to the British Government and has emphasized the need to "safeguard the personal security and the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens".
In this regard, Guo has urged those who are thinking of traveling to the United Kingdom to "carefully read the alert issued by the Embassy and avoid any inconvenience".