Human rights campaigners waved a Tibetan flag and held banners proclaiming "Free Tibet Before Trade With China" as they attempted to disrupt the first day of the state visit by the Chinese President, Mr Jiang Zemin, to Britain yesterday, the first by a Chinese head of state.
President Jiang rode with Queen Elizabeth past the protesters in the Australian state coach along the Mall in central London. A minor scuffle between the demonstrators and the police broke out and Scotland Yard confirmed later that three men were arrested. Two were later released without charge and one was formally cautioned for using abusive language.
The protest however was largely ineffective. The Royal procession continued along the Mall, with President Zemin's wife, Madame Wang Yeping, and Prince Philip following behind in the Scottish state coach. Arriving at the steps of the grand entrance to Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth and President Jiang then posed for photographers. The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, will hold formal talks with President Jiang at Downing Street on Thursday.
After the demonstration, the director of the Free Tibet Campaign, Ms Alison Reynolds, said the Chinese government's most successful export was its ability to suppress free speech. "We feel it is totally inappropriate for the President to be entertained by the Queen and Tony Blair while the human rights issue is brushed under the carpet," she said. "While Tony Blair says that human rights shouldn't top the agenda, he's managed to spin the ethics out of his foreign policy."
Ten years after the suppression of protesters at Tiananmen Square, President Jiang's four-day visit comes a year after Mr Blair's visit to China and at a time when relations between the two countries have improved considerably following the successful hand-over of Hong Kong.
Fears over China's reaction to the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade during the Kosovo conflict appear to have eased and although Mr Blair will raise the issue of human rights abuses with President Jiang, London's aim is to strengthen economic ties with his government.
Amnesty International, however, has called on Mr Blair to make a robust public statement detailing Britain's displeasure over China's human rights record pointing to the marked deterioration in respect for civil and human rights in China since Mr Blair's visit a year ago.
"There is no consistency in the government's policy on human rights," said Amnesty's Mr Richard Bunting. "It doesn't have to be a row and governments must look after their economic and strategic interests, but China will not get the message if political and diplomatic pressure is not brought to bear on human rights."
During a visit to Switzerland in March, President Jiang was angered that pro-Tibet demonstrators were allowed to get close to him and told the Swiss Parliament: "You have lost a good friend."