 Chinese state TV journalist charged with assault in Britain London (AFP) Oct 25, 2018 - A Chinese state TV journalist accused of slapping an activist at the Conservative Party conference this month has been charged with assault, British police said on Thursday. "Lin Lin Kong, a journalist from Kings Cross in London, has been charged with common assault following an incident in Birmingham city centre on September 30," police said in a statement. The journalist was arrested after heckling at a party conference debate on human rights in Hong Kong. The China Central Television (CCTV) reporter was released the following day and is scheduled to appear in court on November 7. Enoch Lieu, a party activist helping at the event, told AFP she slapped him twice after he had asked her to leave for shouting at one of the speakers and accusing him of being anti-China. But the Chinese embassy called her ejection "completely unacceptable", in a statement posted on its website at the time. "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," it said. Contacted by AFP on Thursday, the embassy could not immediately comment on the case. Chinese state broadcaster CGTN in a statement also at the time said the journalist "was blocked and assaulted when she raised a question and expressed her opinion". It quoted a CCTV spokesperson saying it was "unacceptable" and called for an apology from organisers, urging British police to "protect her legitimate rights". The event featured Hong Kong pro-democracy leaders Martin Lee, Nathan Law and Benny Tai, as well as British MP Fiona Bruce and campaigner Benedict Rogers.
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Beijing on Thursday dismissed a New York Times report that alleged Chinese intelligence eavesdropped on Donald Trump's cellphone calls as "fake news" and joked the US president should switch to a Chinese phone.
The newspaper cited anonymous officials who said China and Russia had listened in to Trump's frequent phone calls with friends and allies made over his iPhone, using the information gleaned to shape interactions with the US.
When asked about the report at a regular news briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said "certain people in the US are sparing no efforts to win the best screenplay award at the Oscars".
Hua offered three recommendations to the US daily and the Trump administration.
"First The New York Times should know if they publish this type of report it provides another piece of evidence of The New York Times making fake news," she said, using one of Trump's favourite tactics to disparage unflattering articles.
"Second if they are worried about Apple phones being listened in on, they should swap them with Huawei phones," Hua said, referring to one of China's largest telecommunications firms, which has been largely blocked from the US market over national security concerns.
Lastly, Hua recommended "they should stop using any modern communication equipment and cut off contact with the outside" if they want to ensure absolute security.
Russia, too, dismissed the eavesdropping allegations.
"We already treat these sort of stories with a certain humour," said presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
"We regret this newspaper unthinkingly publishes information which most likely indicates a decline in journalistic standards."
The Times' report on Wednesday provided few details on how China and Russia were monitoring Trump's communications aside from noting the calls were intercepted as they travel through the US cellphone network.
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