A furious Tory MP has hit out at a Government minister who was pictured grinning with a Chinese official linked with an operation to snatch dissidents in the UK.
Tim Loughton vented his fury at Mary-Anne Trevelyan, the Government's Minister of State for Indo-Pacific, after she met and was photoed with Liu Jianchao.
Lui, head of the Chinese government's International Liaison Department, was branded the Communist Party's "chief dissident snatcher" in a fiery exchange in the Commons.
Last month Ms Trevelyan met with the official despite being briefed about his alleged involvement in operation Fox Hunt and Sky Net - which target critics who escape across the world.
MPs heard that three Hong Kong pro-democracy activists who sought sanctuary in the UK are at risk of being snatched after a bounty of £100,000 was put on their heads.
Mr Loughton fumed at Ms Trevelyan: "Will she now admit that her sitting down with Liu Jianchao, the head of the International Liaison Department of the Chinese government, the chief dissident snatcher who has a real role in the issuing of these warrants, that her being photographed sitting next to him smiling along with five other members of this House was a bad idea?
"It sends out entirely the wrong messages to the Chinese government which is why they think they can get away with it."
This week Nathan Law, one of eight activists facing a bounty for his arrest - three of who are in the UK - told the BBC he is fearful of being targeted by Communist authorities in the UK.
And Hong Kong activists Finn Lau and Christopher Mung have called for a meeting with Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, saying they don't feel safe.
Mr Lau said: “The risk of abduction and physical harassment has escalated, skyrocketed in the last few days.”
Authorities in Hong Kong are offering rewards of over £100,000 for information leading to their capture.
Mr Loughton continued: "When are we going to see some real sanctions... some real implications of what China is going to do rather than tough words that mean nothing?"
He shook his head as Ms Trevelyon justified the meeting, saying she had been "extremely frank" with Lui.
The minister said that the offering of bounties was "very very worrying", and told MPs: "In every diplomatic relationship being frank is only possible when you're in the room together.
"Colleagues will know I was extremely frank with the gentleman in question."
The Government confirmed that Ms Trevelyan attended the Great Britain-China Centre's senior leadership forum on June 20 to provide opening remarks, and later held a short bilateral meeting with Liu.
In a written reply last month Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon said: "The Government's approach is to engage constructively with China while steadfastly defending our national security and our values.
"Robust engagement to challenge human rights violations and stand up for the rights of the oppressed is at the core of the UK's diplomatic work around the world. We will continue to raise human rights issues directly with China."
Lib Dem Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Layla Moran - who asked an urgent question in Parliament - said: “It is beyond time to use sanctions against Hong Kong officials involved in these latest chilling actions.
“I am staggered that we are yet to sanction a single individual involved in the crackdown on democracy and liberty in Hong Kong. The UK should be leading when it comes to Hong Kong - yet this Government appears content to lag behind our allies.
“We must send a robust response to these latest threats. Nobody on UK soil should ever feel threatened by another country for standing up for freedom.”
