China Has Been Banned from Attending Queen Elizabeth's Funeral
According to a BBC report, a Chinese government delegation has been banned from attending the lying-in-state of Queen Elizabeth II.Â
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle allegedly refuse a request for access over Chinese sanctions against five British ministers of parliament and two peers, according to the BBC. But he refused to comment further on the issue. "It's better I don't comment because everything has security implications. It would be wrong of me to do so," he told the BBC.Â
Queen Elizabeth's remains will lie in state in Westminster Hall until her internment on September 19.Â
Mao Ning, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said they have not received notice about the alleged ban at Westminster Hall.Â
"As a host, the UK is certainly familiar with diplomatic protocols and proper manners of receiving guests," Ning told the BBC.Â
Relations between China and Europe are at an all-time low. In 2021, Beijing imposed sanctions on 10 EU politicians, think tanks, and diplomatic bodies, in response to Western sanctions against Chinese officials accused of the mass detentions of Muslim Uyghurs in northwestern China. In retaliation, Europe froze a major investment agreement it had been negotiating with China for nearly a decade.Â
The U.K. was among the most vocal critics of China's mistreatment of its marginalized communities, particularly Muslim Uyghurs. China imposed travel bans and asset freezes on nine Britons.Â
In response, the U.K. banned China's ambassador in London from Parliament. "This has now been extended to a delegation that wanted to pay their respects at Queen Elizabeth's lying-in-state," writes the BBC.
Westminster Hall is the convention site of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the British Parliament.Â
