Chinese embassy slams UK politicians' 'arrogance

LONDON: The Chinese embassy in the UK lambasted "anti-Chinese rhetoric" of some British politicians, who criticised Beijing after a Chinese group said it would shut down the UK's last two steel furnaces.

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The UK has swooped in to prevent the closure of British Steel's main plant in Scunthorpe, northeast England, after its Chinese owner Jingye said late March it was no longer financially viable to keep the furnaces burning.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government saw the closure of Scunthorpe as a threat to Britain's long-term economic security, given the decline of Britain's once-robust steel industry and the potential loss of some 2,700 jobs.

"The anti-China rhetoric of some individual British politicians is extremely absurd, reflecting their arrogance, ignorance and twisted mindset," an unnamed Chinese embassy spokesperson said in a note published on the embassy's website Wednesday.