A protester threw a shoe at Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao as he delivered a speech on the global economy in England today.
The shoe landed on the stage about a metre from Mr Wen, who was speaking at Cambridge University.
The protest echoed the hurling of shoes by an Iraqi journalist at former US president George W. Bush on his farewell visit to Iraq in December.
The protester, who was held by university security guards, blew a whistle and then shouted: "How can the university prostitute itself with this dictator?"
Mr Wen hesitated for a few moments in his speech before continuing speaking. University officials bundled the protester out of the building and security guards fanned out across the stage.
About 80 people, both supporters and critics of China, had earlier gathered outside the venue.
Before the incident, Mr Wen said the global financial crisis has yet to reach its low point.
"This unprecedented financial crisis has inflicted a severe impact on both China and Britain as well as other European countries," he said. "The crisis has not yet hit the bottom and it is hard to project what further damage it may cause."