China monitors shooting incident at White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington

Beijing (ANTARA) - The Chinese government claims to be continuously monitoring developments from the shooting incident at the “White House Correspondents’ Association” gala in Washington, United States.

“This shooting incident has attracted China’s attention. We certainly oppose and condemn violence that is not in accordance with the law,” said Spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lin Jian during a press conference in Beijing on Monday (27/4).

On Saturday night (25/4), gunshots were heard at the Washington Hilton Hotel in the United States, the venue for the annual dinner between government officials and White House journalists.

All attendees at the dinner, including US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump, were immediately evacuated.

Meanwhile, the shooting suspect was immediately detained, but one Secret Service agent was injured.

The shooting suspect is known as Cole Allen, who frequently criticises the US government for refusing to provide aid to Ukraine.

Washington police stated that the suspect, detained after firing shots at the dinner attended by US President Donald Trump, was armed with a shotgun, pistol, and several knives.

US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel will completely overhaul the security arrangements for President Donald Trump’s next dinner with White House journalists following the incident.