A group of senior MPs and peers has criticised the decision to invite Chinese representatives to the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II next week.
The group, which includes former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, has written to the House speakers of the Commons and the Lords, and to foreign secretary James Cleverly.
In the letter, which also included senior Conservative MP Tim Loughton, Labour peer Baroness Kennedy and crossbench peer Lord Alton among its signatories, the group called the decision to issue an invite to the Chinese government “extraordinary”.
Every one of the letter’s signatories have been sanctioned by China for criticising its regime over the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region of the country.
China has vehemently denied accusations that its treatment of the Uyghurs constitutes an act of genocide. In response to reports that it was detaining over a million Uyghurs in camps, the Chinese government said that they were being housed in “re-education” facilities to help prevent future acts of Islamic terrorism.
Nevertheless, the UK has issued invitations to any state with which it has diplomatic relations and China is one of those. Around 500 heads of state and other foreign officials are expected to attend to pay their respects to Her Majesty.
China’s invite comes despite representatives from other countries such as Russia and Belarus not being invited, owing to the Ukraine invasion.
No invitations have been issued to diplomats from Myanmar following the 2021 military coup in the country, while no representatives from Afghanistan, Syria or Venezuela are included on the funeral guest list either.
Elsewhere, North Korea, Iran and Nicaragua have been invited to send ambassadors only, according to the BBC’s government sources.
The letter reads: “We are greatly concerned to hear that the government of China has been invited to attend the state funeral next week, despite other countries Russia, Belarus and Myanmar being excluded.
“Given that the United Kingdom Parliament has voted to recognise the genocide committed by the Chinese government against the Uyghur people, it is extraordinary that the architects of that genocide should be treated in any more favourable way than those countries who have been barred.”
The group also said that the Chinese sanctions against seven members of the UK Parliament rendered the invitation “particularly inappropriate”, alongside the fact that the Chinese ambassador to the UK has also been prevented from attending the Palace of Westminster.
The Chinese government has this week said that it is “considering sending a high-level delegation” to the Queen’s funeral but has stopped short of giving detail on who this may include.
Chinese president Xi Jinping is included on the guest list but is believed to be unlikely to attend. Meanwhile, China’s vice-president Wang Qishan is expected to travel as per the South China Morning Post.
Photo by Alejandro Luengo on Unsplash
