China barred from attending Queen Elizabeth's lying-in-state

London, Sept 17: China was recently barred from attending the state of lying of Queen Elizabeth II, when all heads of state visiting London for Queen Elizabeth's funeral have been invited to attend the lying-in-state in Westminster Hall ahead of Monday's (Sept 19) state funeral, and to sign a book of condolences at Lancaster House.

 

 

 

 

However, opening a fresh diplomatic rift with Beijing, a Chinese government delegation has been refused permission by the House of Commons authorities to attend the queen's lying-in-state in Westminster Hall, London, International media reported citing a senior parliamentary figure familiar with the matter. House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle fired new diplomatic salvos when he told his colleagues that he declined a request for Chinese officials to be allowed to access Westminster Hall, where the late queen will lie in state until her funeral on Monday.

 

 

 

 

 

Hoyle's office said it did not comment on security matters, reported international media. It must be noted that Westminster Hall forms part of the Palace of Westminster, over which the Commons and Lords speakers have authority. This key development comes at a time when the UK government has toughened its stance on China. The newly appointed UK Prime Minister Liz Truss during the Tory leadership debates indicated that she will be more hawkish towards Beijing than her predecessor Boris Johnson.

 

Truss also raised her voice for the formal recognition of the Uyghur genocide and rejig its long-term foreign and defense strategy -- with stronger language on China, reported international media. The UK attitude towards China was also highly visible when the then foreign secretary, Truss, in August, summoned the Chinese ambassador over Beijing's aggression towards Taiwan and said there had been "increasingly aggressive behaviour and rhetoric from Beijing in recent months, which threaten peace and stability in the region."