Funeral invitation for China rankles with some

A group of British legislators sanctioned by China have written to officials expressing concerns that the Chinese government has been invited to Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral.

Conservative lawmaker Tim Loughton told the BBC on Thursday the invitation to China should be rescinded, citing the countrys human rights abuses and treatment of Uyghurs in the far western region of Xinjiang.

Britain cant possibly have official representatives of the Chinese government attending such an important occasion, he said.

The Chinese ambassador to the U.K. is banned from Parliament after Beijing sanctioned seven British legislators last year over their stance on China.

It is not clear whether President Xi Jinping, currently meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Uzbekistan, will attend Mondays state funeral. Media reports suggest Chinese Vice-President Wang Qishan may attend.

Russia, Belarus and Myanmar were not included in the funeral invitation list.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)