China condemns British press as 'narcissistic barbarians' over Queen leaked video coverage

Scathing editorial accused UK media of 'brandishing its claws' and 'frequently getting caught with its pants down'

The comments came during a conversation with Met Police Commander Lucy D’Orsi (ITV)

The British press is run by “reckless gossip fiends” and “barbarians” who blew the Queen's garden comments about the Chinese President's visit out of proportion, a Chinese newspaper has said.

In an editorial published by the Global Times, a paper with close ties to China’s Communist Party, it says the press is “frequently caught with its pants down” and of having “bad manners”.

It said British newspapers can only “make progress” breaking free from “uncivilised barbarism” if they learned lessons from “5,000 years of continuous Eastern civilisation”.

The comments come after the Queen was caught on camera calling Chinese officials “very rude” at a Buckingham Palace garden party.

The footage revealed the monarch’s opinions on President Xi Jinping’s state visit last year. They were largely censored by Chinese media.

The Global Times column accuses British newspapers of “blowing the incident out of proportion” and dismisses them for treating the footage as “the most precious treasure.”

It also says “Chinese diplomats have mocked British officials privately...but Chinese diplomats are discreet”.

The idea that British authorities had deliberately leaked the video to undermine President Xi’s visit was “unthinkable” and would have been “truly rude and crude”

Chinese diplomats have mocked British officials privately...but they are discreet

&#13; <p>The Global Times</p>&#13;

A common trait among Chinese media has been the tendency to attack Western journalists when China’s reputation is called into question.

The article continued: “[The British media] bare their fangs and brandish their claws and are very narcissistic.

“They retain the bad manners of barbarians.

“Even among Western countries, Britain most frequently reveals its underwear and exposes itself”

During the recorded comments the Queen was overheard commiserating with a police commander for her “bad luck” in being tasked with overseeing security for President Xi.

The Chinese president’s UK visit in October was widely proclaimed as the start of a ‘golden age’ of warmer relations between the two countries, spurred on by a series of lucrative business deals.