U.S. ambassador to China surrounded by protesters, car damaged
Los Angels Times, 19 September 2012
BEIJING — The car of the U.S. ambassador to China was surrounded by a small group of demonstrators on Tuesday, who damaged the vehicle and briefly prevented it from entering the U.S. Embassy compound in Beijing.
A YouTube video of the incident showed the protesters chanting slogans such as “down with the U.S. imperialists” and, in an apparent reference to the Chinese government’s purchase of U.S. government debt, “return the money!”
The five-minute video shows a black car approaching the embassy and attempting to turn into the gate. As the demonstrators surrounded the vehicle, several dozen Chinese police and uniformed guards rushed to the scene. Several water bottles were thrown at the car and one man could be seen banging on the hood of the vehicle.
The security forces quickly surrounded the automobile and pushed the demonstrators away from it.
A State Department spokesperson said Ambassador Gary Locke’s car sustained minor damage but the ambassador was unharmed. The spokesperson said the U.S. had “registered our concern” with China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The U.S. Embassy is located near the Japanese Embassy, which has been targeted by thousands of Chinese protesters in recent days voicing complaints over the Japanese government’s move to purchase islands in the East China Sea that are also claimed by China.
In an apparent reference to that dispute and the United States’ security treaty with Japan, some of the demonstrators chanted: “The U.S. government is the mastermind.”