‘Report news or fabricate news?’ China hits back at BBC, UK govt. over victim playing and smearing

AFP: The UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said yesterday that China poses a systemic Challenge to the UK values and interests. This was after a BBC journalist was arrested and beaten while covering protests in Shanghai. What is your response to the Prime Minister’s comment? Zhao Lijian: On the night of November 27, to maintain public order, local police in Shanghai asked people who had gathered at a crossroads to leave. One of those at the scene is a resident journalist from the BBC. Though the police made it clear to the journalist and others that they needed to leave, the journalist refused to go and in the entire time did not identify himself as a journalist. The police then took him away from the scene. After verifying his identity and informing him of pertinent laws and regulations, the police let him leave. Everything was conducted within legal procedures. This BBC journalist refused to cooperate with the police’s law enforcement efforts and then acted as if he were a victim. The BBC immediately t