UK diplomat dives into river to save drowning woman, embassy in China 'immensely proud'

In a rare comment, China, on November 16, lauded a British diplomat who was filmed diving into a river to save a drowning student in the southwestern city of Chongqing. “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 public briefing. In a video that is now making headlines, Consul General Stephen Ellison could be seen rescuing a woman, who fell into a river while exploring the nearby touristy town.

The 2 min 20-second video clip was originally shared on Chinese social media where it racked up over 170 million views. It was later shared by the British Embassy in China, which wrote that they were extremely proud of Ellison who dived in the flowing river to save the drowning student and bring her to safety.

In the video, the British diplomat could be seen taking off his shoes before jumping into the river. After getting hold of the woman, who could be seen floating facing downwards, he put her on a safety tube. The clip finally concludes by showing Ellison finally swimming the woman back to the dry land.  Since being shared on Twitter, it has been viewed over 600 thousand times. In addendum, netizens from across the world have flocked in to laud the heroic act. "why didn't anybody else jump in to help?” questioned a user. "I hope he's got diplomatic immunity because there's a good chance he'll get sued for compensation for some reason," quipped another. 

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Beijing -China relations

Tensions between Beijing and London have escalated over the last few months, with UK accusing CCP of crushing human rights. On the other hand, China last week slammed the United Kingdom for making "irresponsible remarks" against Beijing after four pro-democracy lawmakers were disqualified from Hong Kong legislative council over allegedly colluding with foreign forces in carrying out separatist activities. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin urged the UK to stop interfering in the country's internal affairs and also warned them of a firm, legitimate, and necessary reaction if they insist on going down what he called a "wrong path". 

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