6 hours ago
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A Chinese government delegation has been barred from visiting London’s Westminster Palace to pay homage to the Queen’s coffin ahead of the UK’s solemn funeral for the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, has refused a Chinese delegation to enter Westminster Palace to pay tribute to the Queen following China imposed sanctions on five members of the House of Commons and two members of the House of Lords, the BBC understands. ask.
The Queen’s funeral will be held next Monday (September 19) in Westminster Abbey, just across the street from Westminster Palace. Before that, the Queen’s coffin was parked in Westminster Hall (Westminster Hall) in Westminster Palace for four days.
When contacted by a BBC reporter for this, the Speaker of the House of Commons’ Office was told: “It does not comment on security issues.
10 Downing Street, the prime minister’s office, declined to comment. Access to parliament is up to parliament, a spokesman said.
When asked regarding the matter at a press conference on September 16, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said that he had not seen relevant reports. She said: “Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral is an important event in the UK. Attending the event at the invitation of the British side shows respect for the late Queen and the UK. The British side, as the host, should uphold diplomatic etiquette and hospitality. road.”
According to Hong Kong media reports, Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan will be in the UK for the Queen’s funeral. However, Mao Ning only said at the press conference on the 16th that China is considering sending a high-level delegation to attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, and “will release relevant information in due course.”
It was unclear whether the “high-level delegation” was being barred from Westminster Hall by the Speaker of the House of Commons.
political turmoil
In March 2021, China announced sanctions on “nine British individuals and four entities for maliciously spreading lies and false information,” including seven British MPs who have been sharply critical of human rights in Xinjiang, accusing Beijing of mistreatment of Uyghurs Muslim.
On Thursday (September 15), seven British Conservative MPs, including Ian Duncan Smith and Tim Laughton, who have been sanctioned by China, wrote to the British foreign secretary, calling on the UK to withdraw its sanctions once morest Chinese President Xi Jinping. An invitation to the Queen’s funeral.
In their letter, they said the presence of a Chinese delegation at the Queen’s funeral was “completely inappropriate” given the Chinese government’s human rights record.
The letter also said it was “extraordinary” to invite the “designer” who carried out the genocide of the Uyghur minority.
A spokesman for the British Prime Minister said that, as usual, representatives of all countries that have diplomatic relations with the UK are invited to attend state funerals.
Britain will hold a state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II on Monday (September 19), with world leaders and members of the royal family expected to attend the largest funeral in decades.
Funeral invitations were sent out over the weekend, and regarding 500 foreign dignitaries are expected to attend, including heads of state and members of the royal family. Those who have been confirmed to attend the funeral include U.S. President Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italian President Mattarella and European Commission President von der Leyen.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping is also on the UK invite list, but he is not expected to attend. From September 15th to 16th, Xi Jinping attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Uzbekistan and held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This is Xi Jinping’s first overseas visit in nearly three years since the start of the new crown epidemic.
China’s foreign ministry said Beijing was “considering sending a high-level delegation.”
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The Queen’s coffin was parked in Westminster Palace, and the British public lined up for condolences.
Some Hong Kong media revealed that Wang Qishan will go to the UK to attend the Queen’s funeral.
After the death of the Queen of England, Wang Qishan went to the British Embassy in China to offer condolences.
Wang Qishan said that Queen Elizabeth II is a promoter and contributor to the development of China-UK relations. She is the first British monarch to visit China. She has received many Chinese leaders to visit the UK and has made positive contributions to the development of China-UK relations.
In 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping also attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace at the invitation of the Queen during his state visit to the UK.
UK-China relations
Since 2015, when UK-China relations were dubbed the “Golden Era”, tensions have grown between the two countries over the Hong Kong issue, human rights issues in Xinjiang and competition between the US and China.
This is not the first time Chinese officials have been treated this way by the Chinese delegation being barred from visiting the Palace of Westminster to pay their respects to the Queen.
In September 2021, shortly following taking office, China’s ambassador to the UK, Zheng Zeguang, was invited to a reception organised by the cross-party China group in the House of Commons. But he was told by the speaker of the British parliament that the British parliament would not welcome him to the Houses of Parliament until China lifted sanctions on several British MPs.
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British MP Sir Ian Duncan Smith, former leader of the Conservative Party. He is one of the British politicians sanctioned by the Chinese government over human rights issues in Xinjiang.
The media noted the discord between the British Parliament and the British government in their handling of relations with China. The American political media “Politico” (Politico) reporter, who first broke the news that the Chinese delegation was forbidden to go to Westminster Palace to express condolences to the Queen, wrote: (Westminster Palace and Westminster Abbey) are only 160 yards (regarding 146 meters) apart, but miles away.
BBC correspondent Jonathan Josephs also wrote in the report: In the context of already tense relations between the UK and China, the decision to ban the Chinese delegation from visiting the Queen’s coffin is obviously unlikely to help improve relations.
British politicians also had mixed views on the decision. Conservative MP Richard Graham said on London Radio (LBC) that it would be “extraordinary” if the UK did not invite Xi to the Queen’s funeral.
He said the spat was a major disruption to the Queen’s funeral at a time when the nation mourned the Queen and shelved all political issues.
Why can’t the Chinese delegation go to Westminster Palace?
Westminster Palace is the center of British politics. Westminster Hall was built in the oldest part of the 11th century and still retains its medieval wooden roof. The Queen’s coffin is parked on the catafalque under the wooden roof for the British public to pay their respects.
Westminster Abbey is the place where the King and Queen of England were coronated. The Queen held a coronation ceremony here in 1953, and she and Prince Philip were also married here in 1947.
In 1965, Queen Elizabeth II agreed that control of the Palace of Westminster would be shared by the Lord Chancellor appointed by the monarch, the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Speaker of the House of Lords, according to the Parliamentary Rule Book (Erskine May).
Although the rule book does not mention who controls and decides on important occasions such as paying homage to the coffin, when it comes to matters such as “inviting foreign dignitaries to address the Houses of Commons at Westminster Palace”, the invitation is “usually” made by the above three people Agree to issue.
Therefore, with the disapproval of the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Chinese delegation might not go to Westminster Palace to express condolences to the Queen.
