The complicated history that lies behind the violent scenes outside the Chinese Consulate in Manchester

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

The violent scenes, captured in video footage now shared from behind both sides of the ornate metal fences of the Chinese consulate in Manchester, are clear to see and unequivocal.

What's less obvious, perhaps, to many observers are the politics and feelings behind them. Hong Kong, a former British colony, was handed over to China by the British Government and fell under its rule in 1997 after diplomatic talks first began some 15 years earlier.

Under what was called at the time a 'one country, two systems' formula, Hong Kong became part of a communist-led country, albeit with autonomy over its economy and democratic politics. READ MORE: Police looking for these eight men after violent clashes between Leeds and Manchester United fans In 2020, China's ceremonial legislature, the National People's Congress, endorsed a security law for Hong Kong that strained relations with the UK and Hongkongers.

The law altered the territory's mini-constitution, or Basic Law, to require Hong Kong's government to enforce measures which would be decided later by Chinese leaders.