Australia's Chinese Community Joins Protests

Members of the local Chinese community in Australia stood in solidarity with demonstrators in China.

In Melbourne, protesters held a vigil to honor those lost in the Urumqi apartment fire. Many have blamed China's strict zero-Covid policy for blocking authorities from putting out the fire in time.

In addition to candles, the demonstrators in Australia also held signs expressing their discontent with Chinese President Xi Jinping's leadership and China's Covid protocols. Others had blank white signs, a symbol of the protests meant to circumvent Chinese censorship laws.

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David Chu, a former Beijing resident now living in Australia, told the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) that he posted a virtual piece of white paper on WeChat in support of the students in Chinese cities holding up blank signs to avoid censorship while protesting China's strict Covid policy.

"We have migrated to Australia, a democratic country, but we're still Chinese people and we feel what they feel," he told the multilingual outlet based in Australia.

Chu added that he is worried about the young people protesting in China, as the last major demonstration in China led to a violent crackdown in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

"They know what it's going to look like in the end," he said. "They'll be wiped out."

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong urged China to "engage constructively" with protesters.

"Australia strongly supports the right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest without fear of retaliation," Wong said in a statement. "We urge Chinese authorities to engage constructively with protestors and address the concerns they have raised."

US Embassy 'Actively' Helping Americans in China

The U.S. Embassy in China released a statement on Monday advising Americans currently living in China on how to proceed amid the latest local COVID-19 restrictions.

The statement, released by the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in China, said officials are "actively" providing assistance to American citizens who are "experiencing challenges related to the recent rise of COVID-19 infections in China."

U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns shared the statement Monday on Twitter, labelling it "important."

The U.S. Embassy acknowledged that Chinese officials have implemented new lockdowns and other restrictions in response to the latest rise in COVID-19 infections. These restrictions, part of China's "zero-Covid" policy, inspired a wave of protests in several major Chinese cities in recent days.

The U.S. Embassy warned Americans that China is taking steps to prevent further spread of the virus, including lockdowns, mass testing and "possible family separation." U.S. officials, including Burns, "have regularly raised our concerns" about these kinds of restrictions with Chinese authorities, the statement said.

For Americans who are currently in China, the U.S. Embassy urged them to keep two-week supplies of food, water and necessary medications in case they become subject to a lockdown or quarantine. The embassy also encouraged Americans in China to stay up-to-date on the latest travel information from the U.S. State Department. State Department officials currently have a "reconsider travel" advisory in place for China "due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws and COVID-19-related restrictions."

Biden Recently Spoke With Xi Jinping About Covid

The White House said it wants to send a clear message to the world that it supports peaceful protests amid widespread demonstrations against Covid policies in China.

At a press briefing Monday, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told reporters the U.S. position is clear.

"Our message to peaceful protesters around the world is the same and consistent," Kirby said. "People should be allowed the right to assemble and to peacefully protest policies or laws or dictates that they take issue with."

This comes after President Joe Biden recently met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to discuss Covid-19 and the effect the pandemic had around the world, Kirby said.

He added that the U.S. does not support the type of lockdown policy seen in China.

"We've made it clear that a lockdown is not a policy that we're going to support here," he said.

Kirby said the White House is watching the protests closely but does not have a "finer sense" of the location, scale or scope of these protests than what is being seen on social and traditional media.

Biden has been briefed on the situation in China and is "staying atop of what's going on," Kirby said.

When asked about Biden's reaction to protester's call for Chinese President Xi Jinping to "step down," Kirby said the president is not going to speak for the protesters.

"These protesters are speaking for themselves," Kirby said.

He added that he does not see any impact to the supply chain or U.S. economy as a result of the demonstrations.

Turkey Wants Cause of Urumqi Fire Made Public

Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement in response to the deadly fire that broke out last week at an apartment building in Urumqi, the capital of China's Xinjiang region.

In the statement, the Turkish ministry said it is "deeply saddened" by news of the fire, which resulted in the deaths of 10 people and contributed to a wave of protests calling for changes to China's zero-Covid policy.

"We extend our condolences and wish speedy recovery to the injured," the ministry said.

The ministry's statement concluded by suggesting the cause of the fire should be publicly disclosed.

"We expect the reasons of the fire to be made public," the statement said.

Urumqi officials said last week that they will be investigating the cause of the fire, according to the Associated Press. Some critics of China's zero-Covid policy have suggested that lockdown restrictions in the area prevented people from evacuating the building as flames spread.

BBC Journalist 'Beaten' by Police Before Arrest

A BBC reporter said he is "overwhelmed" by the kindness he's received from the Chinese people following his arrest at a protest.

Journalist Edward Lawrence was arrest by police in Shanghai while he was covering the demonstrations against strict Covid lockdowns.

In a tweet after his release, Lawrence said a woman in Shanghai recognized him and asked if he was okay.

"Pulled up to a junction here in Shanghai. A women pulled alongside and looked at me. 'You were taken last night. I'm so sorry, are you okay?' she asked me," he said in a tweet. "Always overwhelmed by the kindness of the Chinese people."

Lawrence has since been released after being held for several hours, according to the BBC. The network said their reporter was beaten and kicked by police officers before being taken away in handcuffs.

"It is very worrying that one of our journalists was attacked in this way whilst carrying out his duties," the BBC said, adding that Lawrence's treatment was "extremely concerning."

The BBC said it had not received an official explanation or apology from China. Chinese officials told the BBC that Lawrence was arrested "for his own good" in case he caught Covid from the crowd.

"We do not consider this a credible explanation," the BBC said.

At a press conference Monday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson did not say much on the reported police violence at protests.

"Based on what we learned from relevant Shanghai authorities, he did not identify himself as a journalist and didn't voluntarily present his press credentials," spokesperson Zhao Lijian said.

The Foreign Correspondents Club of China (FCC) said it was "extremely disturbed" by the treatment of journalists in Shanghai and Beijing.

"Journalists from multiple outlets were physically harassed by police while covering the unrest, and at least two journalists were detained," the FCC said in a statement.

The FCC added that foreign journalists are entitled to unfettered access to report in China, under Chinese law.

"The FCC is very disappointed and frustrated at the increasing barriers placed on foreign journalists operating in China and the aggression displayed towards them by police," the statement continued. "We call on the authorities to uphold their own promises and protect the safety and right to report of all foreign journalists working in the country."

Apple AirDrop Reportedly Limited in China

Apple's AirDrop feature was reportedly limited for some Apple products purchased in China through the company's latest iOS update.

The iOS 16.1.1 update was unveiled earlier this month. Apple says on its website that the update "includes bug fixes and security updates and is recommended for all users."

The update also includes AirDrop limits for people in China who have certain Apple products, Bloomberg reported. According to the website 9to5Mac, which reports on Apple Inc. news, the AirDrop update restricts the amount of time that people in China who use Apple devices can share content with other Apple users who are not necessarily direct contacts.

Previously, an Apple device owner was able to keep their AirDrop feature active for "everyone," instead of solely for direct contacts. This meant they could share photos, videos and other content with people outside their contact lists.

The latest update now blocks Apple device owners from allowing the AirDrop feature to share content with "everyone" for longer than 10 minutes, according to 9to5Mac.

The update reportedly applies to iPhone products that users bought in China.

AirDrop has been used previously among protesters in China to share uncensored content.

Police Reportedly Check Phones in Major Cities

Police in several major Chinese cities are reportedly checking people's phones in search of social media apps and taking down those individuals' personal information if certain apps are found.

Police in Shanghai were also reportedly stopping people seen taking photos on Monday and deleting those images from their phones.

Journalists reporting on China for major media outlets reported the alleged police encounters on Monday in the wake of protests launched in response to recent lockdowns implemented as part of China's zero-Covid policy. The reports came amid widespread allegations of censorship in China related to the protests.

One journalist with the German international broadcaster DW News reported that law enforcement officials in Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou were stopping people and looking at their phones to see if Twitter or Telegram apps were installed. If these social media apps were present on the individuals' phones, the officials were reportedly giving the phone owners warnings and taking down their personal information.

On Monday, a BBC reporter who was arrested over the weekend while covering the protests reported that police in Shanghai were intercepting people seen taking photos in the area where earlier protests were held. Those individuals were then either told to delete the photos or police deleted the photos for them, the reporter said.

Some Chinese Cities Ease Strict Covid Policies

China has been "making adjustments" to its strict zero-Covid policy as some cities move to ease Covid protocols.

When asked about the recent protests, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry said "the relevant circumstances you mentioned do not align with facts."

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the country has been following the "dynamic" policy and has been "making adjustments" based on the "realities on the ground."

The mainland government said earlier this month that it would change quarantine and other Covid protocols. The party said it would "unswervingly adhere" to the zero-Covid policy, but make it less disruptive to people's lives.

"We will protect people's lives and health to the greatest extent and minimize the impact of the epidemic on economic and social development," Communist Party leaders said in a statement. "But recent spikes in Covid cases have prompted cities to tighten protocols."

Zhao said Monday that China is actively implementing the nineth version of the pandemic protocols and the 20 optimization measures.

"We believe that, with the leadership of China's Communist Party and the cooperation and support of all Chinese people, our fight against COVID-19 will be successful," he told reporters.

Some Chinese cities are easing Covid protocols amid the ongoing protests.

The city government of Beijing said it would no longer set up gates to block access to apartment compounds where infections are documented.

"Passages must remain clear for medical transportation, emergency escapes and rescues," Wang Daguang, a city official in charge of epidemic control, said, according to the official China News Service.

In the manufacturing and trade city of Guangzhou, which is experiencing a major surge in infections, the city announced some residents will no longer be required to undergo mass testing, according to the Associated Press.

Urumqi, the city in the Xinjiang region where the deadly fire that sparked the protests occurred, said markets and other businesses in "low risk" infection areas would reopen this week. Public transit in the city has also just resumed service.

Urumqi Officials Restart Some Public Transport

Officials in Urumqi began to resume some local public transportation on Monday, according to The Global Times.

The state-affiliated Chinese tabloid reported that Urumqi authorities announced the restoration of some modes of urban public transportation on Sunday. Public transportation will resume over time in areas that are identified as having lower risk for COVID-19 transmission over time, the paper reported.

The first modes of public transportation that officials are restoring include taxis and buses. Air travel also began again on Monday with China Southern Airlines resuming operations for four paths leaving Urumqi, according to the paper. People leaving Urumqi by air will reportedly be able to travel to China's Hunan, Hainan and Henan provinces, as well as the Chongqing Municipality.

As public transportation resumes in Urumqi following the latest "zero-Covid" lockdown, so too will some local business operations. While eating in restaurants and attending entertainment events is still temporarily banned, the paper reported that essential businesses such as grocery stores and banks will reopen in areas that are identified as having low risk for COVID-19 exposure.

UN Calls on China to Allow for Peaceful Protests

The United Nations is urging China to not detain peaceful protesters amid demonstrations against strict Covid-19 policies, according to AFP News Agency.

"We call on the authorities to respond to protests in line with international human rights laws and standards," UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence told reporters Monday. "No one should be arbitrarily detained for peacefully expressing their opinions."

Laurence said allowing broad debate across society, especially among young people, "can help shape public policies, ensure they are better understood and are ultimately more effective."

The UN is also calling on China to be more transparent in their response to public concerns following the deadly apartment fire in Ürümqi.

"Following the regrettable deaths and injuries during a fire at an apartment building in China's Xinjiang province -- much of which has been under a tight Covid lockdown since August -- we stress the need for transparency in responding to public concerns, and to learn lessons from the tragedy," Laurence said.

He added that the UN urges nations to enact Covid policies that are "necessary and proportionate" in terms of scientific and medical advice and that are "non-discriminatory" in their application.

"Any restrictive measures need to be limited in duration, and there should be safeguards and mechanisms through which people can channel their concerns and seek redress," Laurence said.

Human Rights Group Responds to Lockdowns

Human Rights Watch said people around the world should call on China to "respect" human rights in response to the latest wave of COVID-19 lockdown protests taking place in several major Chinese cities.

The international human rights advocacy organization described the protests and China's "draconian" virus lockdown policy, known as "zero-Covid," in its Daily Brief on Monday. The organization said the latest of China's repeated COVID-19 lockdowns has inspired a level of protest "not seen in years" as people call for loosened restrictions.

China's "zero-Covid" policy stands as "a key example of the one-party state's authoritarian rejection of human rights," the group wrote in its Daily Brief.

Human Rights Watch listed some of the demonstrations the Chinese people have made in protest of the latest lockdowns and said many of these acts of protest bring risk to the people who participate. Some people run the risk of being arrested or serving time for years. The risks the protesters are taking "reveal the level of anger," the organization said.

Before moving on to the next segment of its Daily Brief, Human Rights Watch said people around the world have both "a right to express themselves freely" and "a right to gather and protest peacefully."

"The world should call on the Chinese authorities to respect those fundamental rights," the organization said.

Protests Impact Global Stocks, Oil Prices

The global economy is responding to the protests in China, as many companies reliant on the country are taking a hit Monday.

U.S. stocks took a hit Monday morning as the protests in China continue. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite each sank 0.9 percent and the Dow Jones industrial Average lost 243 points, or about 0.7 percent, according to CNBC.

This comes after the stock market had a good showing after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Shares of Apple Inc. also sank nearly two percent at the open this morning. Apple's iPhone production may also be impacted as the protests disrupt production at its China factory.

Stocks in mainland China closed lower Monday. The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong dropped as much as four percent early in the day before recovering about 1.6 percent by close. China's CSI 300 index also dropped 1.1 percent Monday.

Globally, Europe's benchmark STOXX index slipped 0.9 percent and MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 1.2 percent, Reuters reported.

Oil prices have also been impacted by the protests. Prices fell near to the lowest levels this year, as brent crude oil dropped 3.4 percent to trade at $80.8 a barrel.

"Unprecedented waves of protest in China have caused ripples of unease across financial markets, as worries mount about repercussions for the world's second-largest economy," Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, told Reuters.

Blank Sheets of Paper Used to Avoid Censorship Laws

Chinese protesters are using blank white pieces of paper to demonstrate their discontent with the country's Zero-Covid policy while avoiding strict censorship laws.

Students of the Chinese University of Hong Kong gathered to protest the strict policies to contain the virus following a deadly fire in a Ürümqi tower. Many blame Covid lockdowns for the deaths, as residents were allegedly locked in their homes and could not escape the building once the fire began.

The blank sheets of white paper have become a symbol the lack of freedom of speech in China. Protesters across the country have been seen holding up paper along with other signs expressing discontent with China's Covid policies.

Some are referring to these protests as the "white paper revolution" or the "A4 revolution" as demonstrators hold up blank signs to circumvent China's strict censorship laws.

A protesters told the BBC that the blank paper represents "everything we want to say but cannot say."

The Chinese state has reportedly wiped any mention of the protests from social media and police have reportedly been seen forcing demonstrators to delete content from their phones. Terms like "blank sheet of paper" and "white paper" will only show few results.

This protest tactic has been used since 2020, when Hong Kong demonstrators used blank pieces of paper to protests China's strict national security laws, the BBC reports. The blank page challenges authorities to arrest protesters for holding up a sign that literally says nothing, but symbolic says a lot.

"There was definitely nothing on the paper, but we know what's on there," a protester in Shanghai told the BBC.

Hong Kong activists Nathan Law said history is being made and "history will treat [protesters] well."

Zero-Covid Policy Won't Contain the Virus, US Says

The White House said China's Zero-Covid policy will not contain the virus.

"We've said that zero COVID is not a policy we pursuing here in the United States," the White House said in a statement Monday.

This comes as protests break out across China over the country's strict Covid-19 policies.

The Biden administration reiterated that "we think it's going to be very difficult for the People's Republic of China to be able to contain this virus through their zero COVID strategy."

The U.S. is "focused on what works," meaning using public health tools like booster shots and easily accessible testing and treatment, the White House said.

The White House added that "everyone has the right to peacefully protest," including in the PRC.

Protesters Arrested Across China

Arrests have been made across several Chinese cities in the wake of protests over COVID-19 protocols.

According to DW News reporter William Yang, arrests have been made at peaceful protests in places like Yunnan and Hangzhou.

Yang said authorities have "stepped up their responses" by increasing police presence and blocking main protest areas.

Sporadic Arrests of Protesters Ongoing in China

Individuals were still being arrested in major Chinese cities on Monday after a weekend of unprecedented demonstrations against China's zero-tolerance COVID controls.

Images shared to Twitter showed at least one woman being detained from a public square by a group of police in Hangzhou, capital of China's eastern province of Zhejiang. Pictures from the same area showed uniformed officers surrounding the square in an apparent attempt to quell public dissent.

In a separate clip, which Newsweek couldn't independently verify, a gathering crowd could be heard chanting "let them go." It's unclear whether the two incidents were related.

Chinese riot police came out in force in megacities like Shanghai and Beijing on Sunday to quell the rare protests. The crowds largely dispersed in the early hours of Monday, but many appeared to have done so with the expectation of a formal response from the government, which so far hasn't been forthcoming.

China-based Sky News producer Leo Lord-Jones observed on Monday morning that police officers were whisking away residents in Shanghai, where a sizeable crowd had gathered the night before.

Passersby were reportedly forbidden from taking photographs of the site of the demonstrations, while others were said to have been searched for related pictures, messages, or apps like Telegram and Instagram.

Adult Spam Floods China Protest Posts on Twitter

Twitter is struggling to address a torrent of bot accounts that have hijacked trending hashtags about the recent protests in China to post adult content.

A search for Mandarin hashtags including, Shanghai (上海), Beijing (北京), Wuhan (武汉), Shenzhen (深圳) and Guangzhou (广州), cities where rare anti-government demonstrations were held until the early hours of Monday, returned pictures of Chinese models or advertisements for escort and gambling services.

The result: users seeking the latest updates about the situation in China are being flooded with unrelated content instead.

Air-Moving Device, a Twitter account dedicated to analyzing big-data trends about China, noticed the apparently automated accounts ramping up their activity en masse on November 25, the day the protests began.

"Using a (trending) hashtag in a spam campaign potentially hides authentic content observed during a protest or event, which can move focus away from a protest or 'drown' vital information posted on social media platforms," according to Jens Monrad, who heads Europe, Middle East and Africa analysis at cybersecurity firm Mandiant.

"It is not unusual to see spam-like campaigns pick up trending or popular hashtags to lure people into fraudulent web pages or promote a product, for example," Monrad told Newsweek.

Mandiant, a Google subsidiary, has tracked pro-China information campaigns in the past, including one called "Dragonbridge" ahead of this month's midterm elections.

Mandiant has no evidence linking the adult content spam to Dragonbridge or any other state-backed campaign at this point, Monrad said.

New Twitter CEO Elon Musk reportedly fired the social media company's existing content moderating team and is looking for alternative fixes.

A former employee told The Washington Post on Sunday that the spam was "a known problem" that had been dealt with manually and through automations.

China Cuts Shots of Maskless Fans at World Cup

China appears to be deliberately reducing the number of television angles showing maskless fans at the FIFA World Cup to avoid further incensing a public already deeply frustrated at the country's COVID restrictions.

Newsweek recently reviewed claims that Chinese streams of the World Cup in Qatar were blurring shots of the crowd. While those allegations were inconclusive, there's clearer evidence of mindful editing in China's television studios.

Beijing-based sports reporter Mark Dreyer shared two videos on Sunday that illustrated the difference between Western and Chinese broadcasts of Croatia's 4-1 win over Canada.

On the BBC's broadcast of the match, viewers were shown close-up shots of maskless Canadian and Croatian fans. In China, however, state broadcaster CCTV, which has the distribution rights, replaced the angles with a solo shot of Canadian head coach John Herdman.

Not all fan shots were being cut in Chinese broadcasts, and maskless fans could still be seen in some background shots, but there appeared to be a conscious effort to reduce the images.

Dreyer explained in a Twitter thread: "Chinese broadcasters are notoriously cautious of crowd shots at international sporting events because of what might be seen—like Tibetan flags, for example."

As games are typically broadcast on a time delay of 30 seconds, he said, "it's easy to cut away from a close-up of a crowd shot to one of these other angles—and viewers back home would be none the wiser."

Besides traditional preemptive censorship, COVID remained a "major factor," Dreyer said. "There have been widespread reports about Chinese fans reacting—none too happily—to 1000s of unmasked fans gathering daily in Qatar, while back in China, many people are stuck watching at home."

Last week, Chinese censors on the country's do-everything app WeChat deleted an open letter that questioned the government's zero-tolerance approach to the virus. Among the complaints was an observation that China and Qatar appeared to be on different planets.

China Records Record Covid Daily Cases as Beijing Sticks With Zero COVID Policy

China reported a record number of new COVID cases for the fifth day in a row, following three days of public demonstrations against the government's strict pandemic rules.

New infections reached 40,347 in the 24 hours of November 27, China's National Health Commission said on Monday. Only 3,822 individuals were symptomatic, while the country's seven-day average deaths was one.

China is the only major economy still trying to contain every outbreak as part of President Xi Jinping's signature public health policy known as "dynamic zero COVID." But the rising cases and increasing number of people living under lockdown are testing the public's tolerance of the approach.

The weekend's protests, which reached a boiling point in cities like Chengdu and Shanghai on Sunday, were a rare sign that the public's faith in Xi's policy was waning. His government's choices in the coming weeks—to loosen or further tighten measures—could have major implications for social stability in the country.

On Monday, the Chinese Communist Party's flagship newspaper People's Daily published an editorial by "Zhong Yin," the central government's pen name, which once more attributed zero COVID to Xi, a sign that a major policy shift isn't likely.

The column admitted that the country's pandemic situation was "severe and complex," but argued zero COVID remained the optimal approach to balance public health and the economy.

"The tenuous trust that exists between the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese people is starting to fray, and it is not entirely clear that Xi has any new ideas to turn the tide," Craig Singleton, a researcher at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank, told Newsweek.

"That said, these latest demonstrations appear unlikely to seriously challenge the party's grip on power so long as they remain isolated and sporadic. More likely is that Xi will seek to appear responsive to the public's growing discontent while politically distancing himself from recent lockdown orders, in essence shifting the blame to local and provincial-level officials," Singleton said.

China Beefs Up Police Patrols After Major Protests

A heavy police presence descended on Chinese cities including the capital Beijing and the major port city Shanghai on Monday following rare demonstrations of public dissent over the weekend.

Images circulating on Twitter—said to have been shared by citizens on the ground—showed uniformed officers patrolling the streets of Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province in eastern China. There were similar scenes in Wuhan, the site of another protest on Sunday, where COVID barricades torn down by the public were rebuilt.

The increase in police numbers were most noticeable in Beijing, where images showed marked vans guarding footbridges and officers dotted along sidewalks to preempt gatherings, which were sparked by a deadly apartment fire in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang region, last Thursday.

Shanghai's Wulumuqi Road, named for Urumqi, was crowded with hundreds of protesters on Sunday amid irregular clashes with law enforcement. By Monday morning, the roads were barricaded to prevent pedestrians from accessing them, while those who took pictures of the site were asked to delete them on the spot, the BBC's Ed Lawrence reported.

Elsewhere in the city, counterterrorism units appeared to have been deployed as officials prepared for the possibility of further unrest.

U.K. Official Decries BBC Journalist's Arrest in China

A BBC journalist's arrest by Chinese police on Sunday was "deeply disturbing," British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has tweeted.

"Media freedom and freedom to protest must be respected. No country is exempt," Cleverly said on Monday. "Journalists must be able to do their job without intimidation."

Ed Lawrence, a camera operator with the broadcaster's China bureau, was detained while covering a rare anti-government protest in Shanghai, one of several major cities where the Chinese public gathered to openly oppose the country's unrelenting pandemic controls.

In a statement, the BBC said Lawrence was "beaten and kicked by the police" during his arrest. Local authorities offered neither an explanation nor an apology.

Chinese officials told Lawrence he was detained "for his own good in case he caught COVID from the crowd," the BBC said. China's foreign ministry told a regular press briefing on Monday that Lawrence didn't identify himself as a journalist at the time of the incident.

Tom Tugendhat, the U.K.'s security minister, said Lawrence's arrest was "an echo of the repression the CCP is attempting elsewhere," referring to China's ruling Communist Party.

"China's attempts at state repression here in the U.K. remind us of the urgent need to defend our own freedoms," he said.