Foreign student in Hebei detained for sexual harassment

Chinese police authorities have slammed a 10-day administrative detention on a foreign male university student accused of sexually harassing a Chinese female student at Hebei University of Engineering, local police said Thursday afternoon.

The foreign student, identified only with his Chinese name Tao Wen, will be deported after the detention is served, according to a local police report from Handan, Hebei province. The police report did not specifically mention the nationality of the suspect.

The police report said video footage from the university's hallway showed that the foreign student had made indecent contact with a female student, surnamed Wang, while attempting to take a photo with her around 5:30 pm Wednesday.

According to Kuangyuan Daily, a social media account operated by the university, Wang shared her encounter with the account's staff via text message around 6 pm, saying the foreign student had stopped her to ask for a translation in the hallway, and then asked if he could take a photo with her as a memento.

Wang agreed to the photo, but then he proceeded to touch her breast and kissed her without consent, while claiming such gestures are common in other countries. Around 7 pm Wednesday, Wang reported the incident to the local police.

The local police had launched an investigation in the evening and questioned the suspect. After reviewing video evidence, the police verified and validated Wang's account of the story.

The university said in a statement Thursday afternoon that it has expelled the foreign student in accordance with school regulations.