Nine Chinese politicians, lawyers and a British academic were banned in March for “lying and misrepresenting” the conduct of Muslim Uyghurs in the west of the country.
Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle and Speaker of the House of Lords John McFall intervened to prevent Zheng Zhougang from speaking at an event in parliament.
“I hold frequent meetings with ambassadors from around the world to establish lasting ties between countries and members of parliament,” Hoyle said.
“But in China’s ambassador (House of Commons) and our work environment, I do not think it is appropriate to appear when our country imposes sanctions against certain members.”
Wall facility in Xinjiang, China, where the Chinese government is accused of detaining Uyghur Muslims for their religion – Photo: AB via Ayesha Khan / RNS
China reacts: ‘Nasty and cowardly action’
A Chinese embassy spokesman criticized the move.
“The despicable and cowardly act of some individuals who obstruct the normal exchanges and cooperation between China and the UK for personal political gain will be detrimental to the interests and will of the people of both countries,” he said. Report
Hail did not permanently ban the Chinese representative, but only as long as the sanctions were in effect.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Richard Graham, chairman of a parliamentary committee in China, sent an invitation to Zhouwang in the summer. Graham did not respond to a request for comment and the parliamentary committee declined to comment.
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