The delegation accompanying the Chinese vice president, Wang Qishan, is banned because seven British MPs have been sanctioned by China for spreading lies and disinformation. The vice president is flying 5,000 miles from Beijing to attend the Queen’s funeral and the decision by Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has been made independently of the palace. He has responsibility for Westminster Hall, where the Queen’s coffin sits. The president’s office initially declined to comment, saying it was a security matter. China’s ambassador to London, Zheng Zeguang, was banned from the estate a year ago in a row stemming from UK claims that Chinese authorities have suppressed the rights of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province. At the time, Hoyle said the ambassador’s ban would remain in place as long as sanctions against British MPs remained. The Chinese embassy responded to the expulsion of the ambassador saying that “the despicable and cowardly action of some members of the British Parliament to obstruct normal exchanges and cooperation between China and the UK for personal political gains is contrary to the wishes and detrimental to the interests of its peoples both countries”. Heads of state visiting London for the funeral have been invited in groups to attend the repose at Westminster Hall before Monday’s service and to sign a book of condolence at Lancaster House. The ban on the Chinese delegation was first reported by Politico. In March 2021, the UK imposed sanctions for gross human rights violations against four senior officials and the Public Security Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. China then retaliated against a group of parliamentarians and academics. Tim Loughton, one of the Conservative MPs banned by Beijing, said the invitation to China should never have been issued in the first place. “We are not talking about someone who has caused a little indiscretion. China is a dangerous country,” he said. Loughton had written to the speaker along with former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Labor peer Lady Kennedy and independent peer Lord Alton. They claimed that “it would be completely inappropriate for any representative of the Chinese government to be able to come to the Palace of Westminster”. Benedict Rogers, co-founder of Hong Kong Watch, said: “China is a regime that sits alongside Russia, Belarus and Myanmar who have not already been invited because of their human rights abuses.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. He suggested “the decision may be a legacy of the previous government’s rhetoric and said China was on the Foreign Office’s invitation list because no one ever thought to change it.” President Xi, in his condolence message to the British monarchy, said: “I attach great importance to the development of China-UK relations and am ready to cooperate with King Charles III on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between ambassadors. level between the two countries as an opportunity to promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations for the benefit of the two countries and the two peoples. In a sign that the Chinese understand the importance of diplomatic protocol, Xi made it clear that he was not available to meet the Holy See during the Chinese leader’s brief state visit to Kazakhstan on Wednesday. China had told the Vatican there was no time.
