Envoy praised for rescuing woman
Print Edition
A BRITISH diplomat is being praised for saving a drowning woman in southwestern China.
Britain’s mission in Chongqing said on Monday that Consul General Stephen Ellison leapt into action at the weekend to save a woman who had fallen into a river coursing through a nearby tourist town.
Ellison was visiting the town on Saturday when he heard a cry from a crowd of people as the woman fell into the water.
Video footage shared by the consulate and various Chinese media outlets shows a woman drifting face-down in the water as onlookers scream in panic, before the 61-year-old Ellison, who competes in triathlons, takes off his shoes, plunges in full clothes and swims to her aid.
A lifebelt is then tossed into the river, enabling people on the bank to drag Ellison and the student to safety.
“Due to the timely rescue, the woman quickly recovered her breathing and consciousness,” read the post on the consulate’s official Weibo page.
Footage posted online racked up millions of views, with viewers praising the selfless act. The hashtag “British consul general in Chongqing saves female student who fell in the water” had gained almost 40 million acknowledgements on Twitter-like Weibo by Monday evening as news of Ellison’s bravery spread.
“For a man of such advanced age to save another person from the water in such cold weather, regardless of his own safety, he is a hero and gentleman!” read one comment, liked nearly 2,000 times.
“Regardless of our differences... to act heroically is a virtue and should be praised,” wrote another.
Ellison took up his post in June after serving as a senior diplomat at the British Embassy in Beijing since 2014.
UK-China ties have been strained this year over the UK’s decision to ban Chinese telecom giant Huawei from its 5G networks, as well as the UK’s criticisms of China’s policies in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
“We are all immensely proud of our Chongqing Consul General,” the British Embassy in Beijing said in a tweet on Monday.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian joined the chorus of approval for Ellison expressed online and in state media. “His bravery is commendable, and I would like to give him a big thumbs-up,” Zhao said yesterday.
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