Ai Weiwei, the famous (and, within China, controversial) Chinese contemporary artist has tweeted a series of photos that show a small protest outside the US Embassy in Beijing today.

 

According to Ai, dozens of protesters arrived at the US Embassy around 4pm and chanted "Down with US imperialism" and "Pay us back our money!"

The protests appear to be part of anti-Japanese protests in Japan on the 81st anniversary of the Manchurian incident. The dispute stems from a territorial dispute over the Diaoyu / Senkaku islands.

The US has recently been criticized by China its role in the dispute and other islands disputes.