The number of Chinese diplomats in the UK has risen by almost a quarter in the past decade, prompting renewed concerns over the country’s political influence in Britain.
At present, there are 116 Chinese officials in the UK holding diplomatic immunity, according to Foreign and Commonwealth Office records. In August 2010 the number was 94.
Chinese diplomats around the world have been accused of displaying so-called “wolf warrior” diplomacy during the coronavirus pandemic. The term, a reference to a series of action films popular in the country, is used by academics to characterise the increasingly forthright style of its diplomats abroad.
Iain Duncan Smith, the Conservative MP, said: “The Chinese government has found they are having a tough time with the Americans, so the
