Britain Gives Asylum to 3 China Envoys

Britain has granted political asylum to three Chinese diplomats and is considering an application from a fourth, the Home Office said Friday.

They sought asylum after the Chinese government’s military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing in early June. Two of those granted asylum were first secretaries in the science and technology section of the Chinese Embassy in London. They were not named.

The third is Ning Hongshan, a second secretary in the education section who walked into a police station in west London in June and asked to stay in Britain. The fourth diplomat, whose name was not disclosed, was a middle-ranking official, a Home Office spokesman said.

At least 20 Chinese diplomats in Western countries have defected since tanks and troops ended the demonstrations in Beijing’s Tian An Men Square June 3-4.