UK government opens fresh diplomatic rift with Beijing, bans Chinese delegation from attending Queen’s Lying-in-State

The UK government, the House of Commons authorities, opening a fresh diplomatic rift with Beijing, refused permission to a Chinese government delegation to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s lying-in-state in Westminster Hall, London, Politico reported citing a senior parliamentary figure familiar with the matter.

All heads of state visiting London for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral have been invited to attend the lying-in-state in Westminster Hall ahead of Monday’s state funeral and to sign a book of condolences at Lancaster House.

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 Politico. 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 recognisation of the Uyghur genocide and rejig its long-term foreign and defense strategy — with stronger language on China, reported Politico.

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.”

The invitations to the queen`s funeral were drafted by the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office last week. Chinese President Xi Jinping received an official invite as China’s head of state, though is not expected to attend in person.