Question: On August 30th, Tom Tugendhat, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the British House of Commons tweeted about having received a so-called "threatening letter from China", and commented that "threatening elected politicians is interference" and "must stop". What is the comment of the Chinese Embassy in the UK?

Embassy Spokesperson: We have noticed the unfounded claim of Mr. Tugendhat that he had been "threatened by the Chinese Government". We are deeply concerned over the bias and animosity towards China that was manifested in his tweet and strongly opposed to his groundless accusation and fabrication. Mr. Tugendhat should apologize for cooking up such a misleading rumour.

China is committed to the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs in its diplomacy where infiltration, threatening and interference have no place at all. By contrast, some British politicians, clinging to the colonial and "Cold War" mindset and paying no respect for international law and the basic norms governing international relations, have made unwarranted and irresponsible remarks repeatedly on the affairs of other countries, including China. Who is interfering, infiltrating and threatening others? The answer is obvious. Only those who are used to threatening others are in fear of being threatened.

State-to-state relations are built upon political mutual trust. The history of China-UK relationship tells us that when there is mutual respect and trust, this relationship makes progress; otherwise, it will encounter setbacks and even retrogression. A sound and steady China-UK relationship is not only in the fundamental interests of the peoples of both countries but also conducive to world peace and prosperity.

We urge those British politicians to get rid of the "Cold War" mentality, discard their arrogance and bias, proceed from the real interests of the British people, see China and China-UK relationship from an objective, reasonable and fair perspective, and work for mutual respect and trust between the two countries, instead of doing the opposite.