Queen Elizabeth II Lying In State Program: Britain has allowed a high-level delegation of the Chinese government to attend the ‘Lying-in-State’ program of the late Queen at Westminster Hall. not given. This information has been given in the news of British media. According to reports, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, the lower house of the British Parliament, refused to allow the Chinese delegation to attend the Queen’s ‘Ling-in-State’ event. . The Queen’s state funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey on Monday, 19 September.
According to BBC and Politico reports, five British lawmakers accused the Chinese government of persecution of the Uighur Muslim minority. Angered by this, China had imposed sanctions on British parliamentarians, due to which Sir Lindsay Hoyle declined the request of the Chinese delegation.
The House of Commons said it did not comment on security matters. However, media reports have claimed that the Chinese delegation will be allowed to attend the funeral but will not be allowed for the event inside the Parliament building.
Britain-China relations feared to be strained
Westminster Hall is part of the Parliamentary Estate and is under the control of the Speakers of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. This development is expected to further strain UK-China relations.
According to reports, Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping as the head of state of the country with which Britain has diplomatic relations. It is believed that Vice President Wang Chishan can also be sent along with the Chinese delegation in place of Jinping.
What did the British MP say
Earlier, those lawmakers had objected to the invitation of the Chinese President for the funeral program, against whom China has imposed sanctions. One of these MPs, Tim Lawton, said that you cannot have normal relations with a country that has been oppressing Uyghur people other than Tibet for the last 60-70 years. He also mentioned Hong Kong in this sequence.
China-banned lawmakers earlier this week sent letters to the Speakers of both houses of parliament seeking assurances that Chinese representatives would not be allowed into the parliamentary estate. Meanwhile, Downing Street has said it has been a tradition that countries with which Britain has diplomatic relations are invited to state funerals. Russia, Belarus and Myanmar have not been invited for the Ukraine war.
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