China protects safety of foreign diplomats

BEIJING - A Foreign Ministry spokesman on Wednesday reiterated China's determination to protect the safety of foreign embassies and personnel in response to questions regarding the detention of two Chinese men for stopping a Japanese ambassador's car and yanking a Japanese flag off of the vehicle in downtown Beijing last week.

"A relevant government department has solved the case and handled it according to law," spokesman Hong Lei said at a routine press briefing.

The Chinese government has always worked to comply with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and Chinese laws, he said.

The two men, surnamed Guo and Xia, respectively, were detained by police on August 29 in the city of Cangzhou in North China's Hebei province, according to the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Guo and Xia admitted that they committed the offense in Beijing on August 27.