China praises British diplomat for saving drowning woman
BEIJING: Beijing yesterday praised a British diplomat who was filmed diving into a river in southern China to save a drowning student, a rare warm moment between two countries at loggerheads over human rights.
Britain’s mission in the southwestern city of Chongqing said Monday that Consul General Stephen Ellison leapt into action at the weekend to save a woman who had fallen into a river coursing through a nearby tourist town.
The video on Chinese social media - viewed more than 170 million times in China - shows Ellison pulling off his shoes and jumping in to rescue the woman, who was floating face down.
“I think he should be commended for his act of bravery. I’d like to give him a big, big thumbs up,” said foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian at a routine briefing yesterday.
The hashtag ‘ British ConsulGeneral in Chongqing saves female student who fell in the water’ had gained almost 40 million acknowledgements on Weibo by Monday evening as news of Ellison’s bravery spread.
“For a man of such advanced age to save another person from the water in such cold weather, regardless of his own safety, he is a hero and gentleman!” read one comment, liked nearly 2,000
times.
“Regardless of our differences... to act heroically is a virtue and should be praised,” wrote another.
Ellison’s actions also earned praise from British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who tweeted: “His bravery and commitment demonstrates the very best of British diplomats around the world.”
The 61-year-old former engineer had only recently been appointed to the role in the southern-metropolis a er serving for years at the main embassy in Beijing, and is an accomplished triathlete, according to local media reports.
The praise comes at a time of increased tension in the UKChina relationship, as Britain has frequently criticised China over its human rights record on issues including Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and barred Huawei from its domestic 5G networks. — AFP