“We call on the British side to stop spreading false information and stop anti-China political manipulation and malicious slander,” Spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press conference in response to recent media reports in the UK on the arrest of a Parliament investigator under suspicion of spying for China.

China previously called on the British Government to handle its disagreements adequately, respect fundamental interests, and take the other side’s concerns into account.

Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang expressed these ideas to his counterpart from the UK, Rishi Sunak, as part of the bilateral agreements reached on th sidelines of the G20 Summit in India.

British Foreign Minister James Claverly traveled in Beijing recently, becoming the first UK Minister to visit China in the last five years. His visit took place amid bilateral differences over a report published by the British Parliament that recognized Taiwan as an independent country.

Tensions between both countries have been rising in recent years due to accusations of economic spying made by the United Kingdom and disagreements over human rights.

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