Latest news with #Ipac
Times
01-06-2025
- Business
- Times
Sanctioned MPs ‘banned from meeting Chinese officials'
MPs have claimed they were banned from attending a meeting between Chinese officials and an arm of the Foreign Office at the request of Beijing. The Great Britain China Centre (GBCC), an arms-length body of the Foreign Office, will host Chinese officials this month, with MPs invited to attend. But those who have been sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party for raising concerns about human rights abuses said they were told they will not be welcome because Chinese officials may not be authorised to meet with them. The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac) said to let China decide who was allowed to attend would be 'subjugating the interests of our people to those of an authoritarian dictatorship'. The Times understands that GBCC officials contacted Ipac, which has members from parliaments across the world, to ask if any of its MPs wanted to join the discussion. It was later said that the Chinese officials may not be allowed to meet the politicians. Whether they would have been allowed to has not been tested. A letter signed by MPs and peers to Sir David Lidington, GBCC's honorary president and formerly Theresa May 's de facto deputy prime minister, said: 'Parliament has stood together against the Chinese Communist Party's attempted interference in our domestic politics. 'It is deeply disappointing to find such interference not merely accepted, but promoted by British tax-funded entities like the GBCC. 'We must be clear that as elected representatives of the British people we believe such an instruction to be incompatible with the mandate of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to advance the interests of the British people; rather we view it as the reverse: subjugating the interests of our people to those of an authoritarian dictatorship seeking to silence parliamentarians whose only offence was to oppose Beijing's atrocity crimes.' A number of British politicians have been sanctioned by China after raising concerns about human rights abuses. GBCC said three Ipac MPs, including one who was sanctioned, had been invited. However in a later email seen by The Times a GBCC staff member said it was unclear whether the Chinese officials would be authorised to meet with them. In a statement, the GBCC said it 'actively seeks the greatest possible diversity of political opinion in its bilateral dialogues with Chinese counterparts, and therefore invited three IPAC MPs, including one who is sanctioned and all from different political parties, to the event'. It said: 'As they were either unable to attend, or did not reply to the invitation, GBCC reached out to Ipac to explore interest from other Ipac-affiliated MPs. 'The Chinese side is obviously not involved in recruiting UK delegates, so GBCC does not know whether or not they would be prepared to engage with sanctioned MPs. However, GBCC stands ready to find out.' Tom Tugendhat, the former security minister and one of those who has been sanctioned, told The Times: 'I'm sure the FCDO did not intend to reinforce China's sanctions that ministers have told us they've raised frequently in Beijing. It appears this message got lost in translation. I hope the government will seize the opportunity to reassure parliament that we will not allow ourselves to be divided according to the designs of the Chinese Communist Party.' Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader who is also on the sanctions list, said he was 'sure [the decision] was made by the Chinese state and the Great British China Centre should have the guts to say to them we don't do meetings like that'. He added: 'We don't ban certain people. That shows a lack of courage on their part.' The letter to GBCC added: 'Please urgently reconsider your rejection of fellow parliamentarians. Your interlocutors from the People's Republic of China are welcome to discuss with members of parliament but they are not welcome to choose who those members are; that is the privilege of the British people and the British people alone.'
South China Morning Post
18-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Denying anti-China MP entry may be bad press but perfectly justified
British politicians like Wera Hobhouse make a living by kicking up a fuss. So when Hong Kong authorities denied her entry at the airport, naturally, it presented the perfect opportunity. Advertisement Now the Liberal Democrat member of parliament has made so much noise even the Foreign Secretary David Lammy is on the case, demanding an explanation. She said it was because China wanted to shut her up. What, by giving her a perfect excuse to broadcast her 'ordeal' for the UK media to lap it up? Well, I have an explanation for Lammy and Hobhouse. The Lib Dem is a key member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac), a malignant propaganda outfit filled with European and US political hacks pretending to be activists. Usually, you have activists fighting politicians but these guys like to cosplay as they are heavily funded by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, essentially an outlet for the island's independence, and the National Endowment for Democracy, a US congressional-funded body pretending to be an independent NGO – according to a 2021 investigation by Junge Welt, a German left-wing publication. The way Hobhouse told it, you would have thought Hong Kong immigration officials strip-searched and cattle-prodded her. Officials said she was questioned but refused to cooperate. She said she behaved like a perfect lady. In the event, her husband was allowed into the city but decided to join her on the flight back home. She said it was supposed to be a private visit to see their son and newborn grandchild. Advertisement I don't want to second-guess immigration officers, but I would have let her in after questioning. She would still have made a fuss just for being questioned but it would have perfectly exposed her hypocrisy and that of Ipac. Apparently her son has decided to work and raise a family in Hong Kong since 2019. But isn't Hong Kong supposed to be like George Orwell's 1984 now?
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ed Davey urges China to ‘publish the tapes' after MP denied entry to Hong Kong
Sir Ed Davey has called on China to release the tapes of the interrogation of a Liberal Democrat MP who was denied entry to Hong Kong to visit her family. The party leader also urged Foreign Secretary David Lammy to summon the country's ambassador to Britain to demand an explanation for Wera Hobhouse's deportation, saying the UK should not be 'kowtowing' to Beijing. Ms Hobhouse, the MP for Bath who is a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac) which has been critical of Beijing's human rights record, has said she believes the action was taken to silence her. She had flown to Hong Kong to see her son and newborn grandson but was held at the airport, questioned and sent back to the UK. Asked whether he agreed that she had been detained to 'shut her up', Sir Ed told the PA news agency: 'I think it's very likely the case. 'Liberal Democrats have stood up for the people of Hong Kong against oppression from Beijing, stood up for human rights, and I don't think the Chinese government likes that. 'And this may be a part of retaliation, even though Wera was only on a family visit, but I think that shows you that they behaved in a shocking way – they need to back down.' He added: 'I very much hope the British Government, the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, will call in the Chinese ambassador and demand an explanation. We shouldn't be kowtow(ing), I'm afraid, to Beijing.' Speaking during a local election campaign visit to manufacturing business LJA Miers & Co in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, the party leader challenged China to be transparent about what had happened. 'They're trying to blame Wera,' he said. 'Let them publish the tapes. Let them be open. It's not like the Chinese, but they should be, because I'm afraid they're guilty of a very big mistake here. 'It's against the rights of (the) family, and… it actually should worry anyone in any part of the political sphere in Britain. This is not the way to expect MPs to be treated by China.' The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region released a statement late on Monday saying: 'It is the duty of immigration officer to ask questions to ascertain that there is no doubt about the purpose of any visit. 'The person concerned knows best what he or she has done. It will be unhelpful to the person's case if the person refuses to answer questions put to him or her for that purpose.' Ms Hobhouse accused Chinese authorities of attempting to 'smear' her by appearing to suggest she had failed to co-operate, and asked them to publish recordings of her interview. 'I was polite and co-operative throughout the interview, answering every question asked of me,' she said. 'I even volunteered personal information I wasn't asked for, such as showing officials a picture of my baby grandson who was waiting for me on the other side.' She added: 'Following these damaging attempts to smear me, I hope the Foreign Secretary will now summon the Chinese ambassador in person to give a full and clear account of why I was refused entry to Hong Kong last week. 'Until that request is answered, it will have a chilling effect on all parliamentarians who stand up for freedom and democracy.' In a piece for The Guardian, Ms Hobhouse later said there should be no ministerial visits to China until the UK had been given answers. 'We must be direct: if you will not be straight and don't answer legitimate questions we cannot engage with you on the basis of mutual trust,' she said. 'That's why, until we get a clear answer on why I was deported, no Government minister should be visiting China on official business.' The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.
The Independent
15-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Ed Davey urges China to ‘publish the tapes' after MP denied entry to Hong Kong
Sir Ed Davey has called on China to release the tapes of the interrogation of a Liberal Democrat MP who was denied entry to Hong Kong to visit her family. The party leader also urged Foreign Secretary David Lammy to summon the country's ambassador to Britain to demand an explanation for Wera Hobhouse's deportation, saying the UK should not be 'kowtowing' to Beijing. Ms Hobhouse, the MP for Bath who is a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac) which has been critical of Beijing's human rights record, has said she believes the action was taken to silence her. She had flown to Hong Kong to see her son and newborn grandson but was held at the airport, questioned and sent back to the UK. Asked whether he agreed that she had been detained to 'shut her up', Sir Ed told the PA news agency: 'I think it's very likely the case. 'Liberal Democrats have stood up for the people of Hong Kong against oppression from Beijing, stood up for human rights, and I don't think the Chinese government likes that. 'And this may be a part of retaliation, even though Wera was only on a family visit, but I think that shows you that they behaved in a shocking way – they need to back down.' He added: 'I very much hope the British Government, the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, will call in the Chinese ambassador and demand an explanation. We shouldn't be kowtow(ing), I'm afraid, to Beijing.' Speaking during a local election campaign visit to manufacturing business LJA Miers & Co in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, the party leader challenged China to be transparent about what had happened. 'They're trying to blame Wera,' he said. 'Let them publish the tapes. Let them be open. It's not like the Chinese, but they should be, because I'm afraid they're guilty of a very big mistake here. 'It's against the rights of (the) family, and… it actually should worry anyone in any part of the political sphere in Britain. This is not the way to expect MPs to be treated by China.' The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region released a statement late on Monday saying: 'It is the duty of immigration officer to ask questions to ascertain that there is no doubt about the purpose of any visit. 'The person concerned knows best what he or she has done. It will be unhelpful to the person's case if the person refuses to answer questions put to him or her for that purpose.' Ms Hobhouse accused Chinese authorities of attempting to 'smear' her by appearing to suggest she had failed to co-operate, and asked them to publish recordings of her interview. 'I was polite and co-operative throughout the interview, answering every question asked of me,' she said. 'I even volunteered personal information I wasn't asked for, such as showing officials a picture of my baby grandson who was waiting for me on the other side.' She added: 'Following these damaging attempts to smear me, I hope the Foreign Secretary will now summon the Chinese ambassador in person to give a full and clear account of why I was refused entry to Hong Kong last week. 'Until that request is answered, it will have a chilling effect on all parliamentarians who stand up for freedom and democracy.' In a piece for The Guardian, Ms Hobhouse later said there should be no ministerial visits to China until the UK had been given answers. 'We must be direct: if you will not be straight and don't answer legitimate questions we cannot engage with you on the basis of mutual trust,' she said. 'That's why, until we get a clear answer on why I was deported, no Government minister should be visiting China on official business.' The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minister urges explanation for ‘concerning' decision to bar UK MP from Hong Kong
A UK trade minister has urged Hong Kong authorities to explain the 'deeply concerning' decision to hold and turn away a Liberal Democrat MP, as she tried to visit her baby grandson. On a visit to China, Douglas Alexander has demanded that interlocutors explain why Wera Hobhouse was blocked from entering the Chinese region, and a Government spokesperson warned the incident risked to 'further undermine Hong Kong's international reputation'. Ms Hobhouse, the MP for Bath, earlier said she feared a 'hidden blacklist' might exist, and suggested the UK risked 'falling into the arms of false friends' without scrutiny of London's relationship with Beijing. A Government spokesman said: 'During his visit to mainland China and Hong Kong, minister for trade policy and economic security Douglas Alexander relayed our immediate and deep concern regarding MP Wera Hobhouse's denial of entry into Hong Kong. 'Minister Alexander raised our concerns and demanded an explanation with senior Chinese and Hong Kong interlocutors, including Hong Kong's chief secretary for administration, to understand why the Hong Kong authorities refused access to a British MP. 'It is deeply concerning that a UK MP was refused permission to enter Hong Kong last week. 'Unjustified restrictions on the freedom of movement for UK citizens into Hong Kong only serves to further undermine Hong Kong's international reputation and the important people-to-people connections between the UK and Hong Kong. 'As the Foreign Secretary (David Lammy) has made clear and Minister Alexander relayed in person, it would be unacceptable for any MP to be denied entry for simply expressing their views.' The Hong Kong government said it would not comment on individual cases but that its immigration officers are duty-bound to question those arriving on the purpose of any visit. 'The person concerned knows best what he or she has done. It will be unhelpful to the person's case if the person refuses to answer questions put to him or her for that purpose,' it said in a statement. It also said that Chief Secretary Eric Chan discussed the matter with the Mr Alexander. Ms Hobhouse travelled to Hong Kong on Thursday to visit her son, who has lived there since 2019, and new grandson. She was detained at the airport, questioned and then put back on a flight to the UK. Ms Hobhouse is a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac), which scrutinises British and Chinese relations. Speaking to LBC, she said that while some MPs had been banned from entering China, her experience came as 'a real shock'. She added: 'There must be some sort of hidden blacklist and this is of course why people want to get to the bottom of it. 'We want to know, and this is where me and the Foreign Office should really ask the ambassador and the Chinese authorities to give us an explanation.' Ms Hobhouse later continued: 'China is not a strategic ally, in fact in some cases it could be argued it's the opposite. And they're not a democracy, the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) are only interested to expand their influence over countries like the UK. We should be pretty clear eyed about that.' She said: 'There is such a thing as a UK-China audit, where we should really look at the risks to some of our strategic national interests, and make sure that we are not in some sort (of a) way, falling into the arms of false friends.'
