British police on Monday arrested and charged a man who threw a shoe at Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao while he was speaking at the Cambridge University auditorium in southeastern England.

Wen, who was speaking about China's role in the global economy, was not hit by the shoe, which was thrown from the back of the auditorium and landed about a yard before him.

The 27-year-old shoe thrower, who was not identified, will be charged with public order offense, according to Cambridge police Before throwing the shoe, the protester said, "This dictator here, how can you listen to the lies he's telling? You are not challenging him," according to Agence France-Presse.

A calm Wen looked at his side and watched the shoe hit the stage. A security man kicked the shoe off the stage and security guards removed the shoe-thrower from the audience.

"This despicable behavior cannot stand in the way of friendship between China and the UK," AFP quoted Wen as saying after the incident, which was a copycat of Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi's action against then U.S. president George W. Bush in Baghdad, Iraq on Dec. 14.