The Chinese ambassador to the UK, Zheng Zeguang, has been barred from entering the parliamentary estate by the Speakers of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The decision follows the imposition of sanctions by Beijing on several British MPs and academics in March, in retaliation for UK sanctions over alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and Lords Speaker Lord McFall jointly agreed that a planned meeting of the all-party parliamentary group on China, which the ambassador was due to attend, should not take place on parliamentary premises. The move came after a letter from sanctioned MPs, including former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, urging Hoyle to consider the implications for parliamentary democracy.
Hoyle stated that the ban is not permanent but will remain in place while the sanctions are in effect. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said the decision was a matter for the Speaker, not the government. Lord McFall confirmed that both Speakers agreed the meeting should be held elsewhere given the sanctions against members, including two peers.
The Chinese embassy in London condemned the postponement as a “despicable and cowardly” act, arguing that China’s sanctions were a justified response to UK measures based on disinformation. The embassy emphasised that international relations must be based on mutual respect and non-interference, and accused certain UK parliamentarians of obstructing normal exchanges for personal political gain.
The incident comes at a sensitive time for UK-China relations, as the UK seeks Chinese support for ambitious climate targets ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow. The sanctioned MPs argued that it was unthinkable for the Chinese ambassador to use Westminster as a mouthpiece for his regime while sanctions remain, and suggested the all-party group meeting could instead be held at the Chinese embassy.
