[Epoch Times, September 16, 2022](Epoch Times reporter Xu Jian comprehensive report) The coffin of the Queen of England is currently parked in Westminster (Westminster Abbey) Hall for thousands of people to pay their respects (video) See here), but when the Chinese government delegation asked to participate in the mourning, the Speaker of the House of Commons refused, reflecting the British Parliament’s tough stance on the Chinese Communist Party.
Around 500 world leaders and representatives are expected to attend the Queen’s funeral next Monday, with all heads of state invited to pay their respects at Westminster Hall ahead of the funeral and sign a letter of condolence at Lancaster House.
The Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, told colleagues he had turned down requests from Chinese Communist Party representatives to enter Westminster Hall, Politico and the BBC reported.
Beijing last year imposed so-called “sanctions” on nine Britons, including seven MPs, for criticizing Beijing’s mistreatment of Uighurs. Subsequently, the speakers of the upper and lower houses of the UK told the Chinese ambassador to the UK, Zheng Zeguang, that he was banned from entering the British Parliament, and pointed out that as long as the CCP’s “sanctions” existed, the British ban would be effective.
Hoyle said at the time that after the Chinese Communist Party imposed sanctions on British MPs, the Chinese ambassador should not come to work in the House of Commons and other parliaments. The British government said it was up to parliament to decide whether to allow others into the halls of parliament. At the time, this caused the CCP to jump, calling the ban “despicable and cowardly.”
The United Kingdom has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the funeral, and CCP state media said it will be replaced by Vice-President Wang Qishan. In other words, Chinese Communist Party representatives may attend next Monday’s funeral, but will not be allowed to enter Westminster Hall to mourn before then.
On Thursday (September 15), seven MPs and British aristocrats, including former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith and MP Tim Loughton, urged the British foreign secretary to withdraw his invitation to Xi.
They said it was “totally inappropriate” to have their representatives attend the funeral, given the party’s human rights record. A Downing Street spokesman said it was customary to invite countries with which the UK has diplomatic relations to state funerals.
Lawton MP told BBC News: “With a country that is now being exposed to atrocities of all kinds – especially the genocide against the Uyghurs, the persecution of Tibetans in the (20th century) 60s and 70s and what we’ve seen in Hong Kong – It is impossible for the UK to develop a golden relationship or a normal relationship with them.”
Responsible editor: Ye Ziwei#