Photo: Screenshot of the official website of the Chinese Embassy in the UK

The Chinese Embassy in the UK on Tuesday urged the UK side to immediately stop creating trouble, stop anti-China political manipulations, and stop undermining normal personnel exchanges between the two countries after a Chinese businessman is reportedly being banned from entering the UK.

It is reported that the businessman banned from entering the UK has asked his legal team to disclose his identity. This businessman has also made it clear in a statement that he has done nothing wrong or unlawful. In the meantime, the UK Parliament (on Monday afternoon) heard an urgent question on this issue, during which a few Members of Parliament continued to accuse the businessman of being a "Chinese spy," according to the Chinese Embassy.

The businessman has been banned from Britain on "national security" grounds, according to media reports.

"I have done nothing wrong or unlawful and the concerns raised by the Home Office against me are ill-founded," the businessman said in a statement issued by his lawyers on Monday, Reuters reported.

Chinese Embassy in the UK said in the statement on Tuesday that: "As for the anti-China clamours made by a handful of UK MPs, they have done nothing but fully revealed their twisted mentality toward China, as well as their arrogance and shamelessness. What they are really up to is to smear China, target against the Chinese community in the UK and undermine normal personnel exchanges between China and the UK."

It must be pointed out that the CPC and the Chinese government uphold that countries should pursue friendship and cooperation on the basis of mutual respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit. "This is what we have been saying and what we have been doing. This is also why China has so many friends around the world," the statement said.

Chinese Embassy's statement also urged the UK to have a right perception of China, see the historical trend clearly, and handle its relations with China on the basis of mutual respect, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit.

"We urge the UK side to immediately stop creating trouble, stop anti-China political manipu-lations, and stop undermining normal personnel exchanges between China and the UK," it noted.

Citing four sources with knowledge of the matter, Reuters reported on Monday that "Britain's Labour government has pared back an audit of relations with China, preparing the way for a less critical report that could help Prime Minister Keir Starmer focus on improving economic ties."

On Monday, when he was questioned about the case, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was pleased with what he called progress on ties with China. The PM was cited by the Guardian as saying "Of course, we have to challenge where we must, but it's better to engage to challenge than to stay aside, as it were, important to cooperate where we can on issues like climate change, which need that cooperation. So I'm very pleased with the engagement and the progress that we've made."

Global Times