A Chinese couple who left their young children at a hotel following a fight have ignited a heated discussion over how to punish irresponsible parents.

The Beijing Chaoyang district police posted on January 22 that they received a phone call from a man who claimed to have been looking after his friends’ two children at a hotel.

The children, a seven-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl, had been abandoned by their parents after the couple had a fight during a family trip to Beijing.

Both parents reportedly considered looking after their children as a sign that they had lost the fight, so they ended up leaving the city without them.

Their friend called the police, saying he was forced to look after the children on their behalf and he could not get in touch with them.