China Summons U.K. Ambassador as Media Row Intensifies

Peter Martin and Kitty Donaldson
March 9, 2021 updated March 10, 2021

The Chinese Foreign Ministry summoned the British ambassador, escalating a row between the countries over press freedom. The ministry said in a statement that Ambassador Caroline Wilson posted a public article on the popular WeChat messaging service complaining about sanctions on foreign media, even as those news outlets spread fake news. The article “deliberately confused defamation with critical news reporting” and was “selectively blind” to the oppression of Chinese media, the ministry said.

“A critical media plays a positive role as watchdog of government action and protecting those without a voice,” Wilson wrote earlier this month when she shared the Chinese-language article on Twitter.

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