This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A Chinese journalist who allegedly slapped a man at the Conservative party conference has been released, prompting the Chinese embassy to call on the UK to do more to protect media rights to prevent a repeat of the incident.

Kong Linlin, a 48-year-old reporter for the state broadcaster CCTV, was released by West Midlands police last night pending an investigation.

She had been arrested on suspicion of common assault after allegedly slapping Enoch Lieu when he asked her to leave a conference fringe event on the “erosion of freedom” of Hong Kong under Chinese rule.

Video of Sunday’s incident appeared to show Lieu gently pushing Kong away as she heckled a speaker at the event. “Leave me alone,” she told Lieu before appearing to slap him, the video showed. “You have no right, I am a journalist,” she was heard to say.

Play Video 0:38 Chinese TV reporter 'slaps delegate at Tory conference' – video

The incident threatens to escalate into a diplomatic row as the Chinese embassy in London ratcheted up its condemnation of the way it was handled. First it said the organisers of the event, Hong Kong Watch and the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, should apologise to Kong.

It added: “In a country that boasts freedom of speech, it is puzzling that the Chinese journalist should encounter obstruction in such a way and even assault at the fringe event when she simply raised a question and expressed her opinions. This is completely unacceptable.”

On Tuesday the embassy said Kong’s release occurred “amid stern representations from the Chinese embassy in the UK and public pressure” citing a spokesperson for CCTV.

An embassy spokesman added: “We urge the UK side to take concrete steps to protect our journalist’s legitimate rights and avoid such absurd incidents from happening again”. The remarks are likely to be greeted with scorn by China’s critics, who have repeatedly questioned its record on press freedom.

The embassy added: “An attorney said the event organisers handled the incident inappropriately.”

Benedict Rogers, deputy chair of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, was the speaker whom Kong was heckling at the event. He accused her of abusing her position as a journalist “by trying to intimidate those of us who are exercising our legitimate right of freedom of speech”.

He said the incident was a sign of China’s increasing aggression and bullying, well beyond its borders. He described the embassy response to the incident as absurd and that it should apologise and withdraw its statement.

He said: “Over 80 witnesses in the room saw that the Chinese journalist slapped our volunteer twice, and the video shows her hitting him again. She should apologise immediately and the Chinese government should retract their statement.

“At a party conference in the UK we have every right to discuss Hong Kong, not least because Britain has legal obligations to the people of Hong Kong under the Sino-British joint declaration. Under this treaty, lodged at the United Nations, Hong Kong affairs are still very much Britain’s concern.”

Kong has been been contacted for comment.