The House of Commons banned a Chinese government delegation from attending in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II, opening a new diplomatic row with Beijing.
According to Politico, the Speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, has rejected a request to allow Chinese authorities into Westminster Hall, where the late Queen will remain until her funeral on Monday.
All heads of state visiting London for a funeral can attend the funeral service and sign the Book of Condolences at Lancaster House. However, Westminster Hall is part of the Palace of Westminster, where Parliamentarians from the House of Commons and the House of Lords have power.
Last year, Chinese Ambassador Zheng Zigang was barred from entering parliament after Beijing imposed sanctions on several British politicians who criticized his treatment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang. This ban is still in effect.
Xi Jinping was invited to the funeral service
The situation reveals a rift between Parliament and the British government. Invitations to the Queen’s funeral were issued last week by the Department of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Development. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has received an official invitation as head of state of China, although he is not expected to attend in person. He will likely be replaced by China’s Vice President Wang Qishan, the South China Morning Post reported, as he arrived in London on Sunday. Wang signed a book of condolences to the queen at the British embassy in Beijing this week and observed a minute’s silence, according to China’s official Xinhua news agency.
“I feel that Chinese government officials should be prevented from taking part in this occasion when the nation of Great Britain celebrates the life of our queen,” said Helena Kennedy, a Labor MP who is among the politicians sanctioned by Beijing. “They attack our parliamentary and constitutional system through members of our legislature.”
On the other hand, the UK’s stance on China is expected to harden in the coming months. Liz Truss, who became prime minister earlier this month, during the Conservative leadership contest, indicated she would be more aggressive toward Beijing than her predecessor, Boris Johnson. Truss suggested that he intended to officially recognize the treatment of the Uyghurs as genocide. During the campaign, the incumbent Prime Minister attacked his rival Rishi Sunak for wanting to strengthen economic ties with China.
Allegations of human rights violations against Uyghurs
And Western countries imposed several sanctions on officials in China after allegations of human rights violations against the Muslim Uighur minority.
China has detained Uighurs in camps in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, where allegations of torture, forced labor and sexual abuse have surfaced.
The country has denied allegations of abuse, saying the camps are “re-education” facilities used to fight terrorism.
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