Britain on Tuesday summoned the Chinese ambassador in London for a rebuke after the arrest and alleged assault of a BBC journalist covering COVID protests. Zheng Zeguang was called in to the foreign office after the incident involving Ed Lawrence in Shanghai, which Foreign Secretary James Cleverly had called "deeply disturbing". "It is incredibly important that we protect media freedom," Cleverly told reporters at a NATO meeting in Romania, confirming Zheng had been summoned. "It is something very, very much at the heart of the UK's belief system," the foreign minister said. "It's incredibly important that journalists are able to go about their business, unmolested, and without fear of attack." Lawrence was hauled away by police late Sunday while filming a protest against COVID restrictions, one of many that have rocked China in recent days. The BBC said he was assaulted by police before being released several hours later. China hit back at British alarm over the journalist's treatment and after Downing Street urged police show respect towards the COVID protesters. "The UK side is in no position to pass judgment on China's COVID policy or other internal affairs," an embassy...
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