China's UK Ambassador Banned From Parliament Event Due to Sanctions Spat
The British Parliament banned the Chinese ambassador from attending an event hosted at the legislative house in retaliation for China imposing sanctions on British lawmakers who pointed out human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang province, Reuters reported Sept. 14. China sanctioned nine British lawmakers and four businesses in March for their comments on the treatment of the Uyghur Muslim population in Xinjiang (see 2103260014). The speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, and the speaker of the House of Lords, John McFall, barred Ambassador Zheng Zeguang from speaking at the event, Reuters said.
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“I regularly hold meetings with ambassadors from across the world to establish enduring ties between countries and parliamentarians,” Hoyle said. “But I do not feel it's appropriate for the ambassador for China to meet on the Commons estate and in our place of work when his country has imposed sanctions against some of our members.”
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson responded, according to a transcript of a regular daily press conference provided by China's Foreign Affairs Ministry office: “China strongly condemns this and will have to make necessary responses. China’s sanctions on a handful of anti-China parliamentarians of the UK were completely justified and reasonable. It was a necessary response to these people who spread slanderous rumors and disinformation and to the unilateral sanctions imposed by the UK side. With regard to any words and deeds that are detrimental to China’s core interests, the Chinese side always responds resolutely and never tolerates wrong moves.”