International Shia News Agency

PressTV/ China denies British MPs entry to Hong Kong

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association)- China has reportedly denied a group of British lawmakers entry to Hong Kong as part of an inquiry into Britain’s relations with its former colony.

“The Chinese government [officials] have, in past weeks and months, registered their opposition to the inquiry,” the Foreign Affairs Committee, a panel of lawmakers who scrutinize Britain’s Foreign Office’s work, said in a Sunday statement.

Chairman of the committee, Richard Ottaway, said that he was “informed by the Chinese embassy that if we attempt to travel to Hong Kong we will be refused entry.”

Ottaway added an emergency debate in the parliament might discuss the issue on Monday.

“We are a committee of elected members of parliament from a democratic nation who wish to scrutinize British diplomatic work in Hong Kong. The Chinese Government are acting in an overtly confrontational manner in refusing us access to do our job,” he said.

The move came amid ongoing rallies by anti-election law protesters in Hong Kong.

The protesters are opposed to an election law introduced by Beijing, under which the people of Hong Kong will have to elect their next leader from a list of Beijing-vetted candidates in 2017.

Beijing says it will introduce universal suffrage for the election, but wants a committee to approve the candidates.

Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. The financial hub has enjoyed substantial political autonomy since 1997, when it returned to China after about a century of British colonial rule.

 

Source:PressTV

www.shafaqna.com

 

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