Beijing could provoke a diplomatic scandal if China is represented at the coronation of Charles III by Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng. The Daily Telegraph newspaper said this on Wednesday evening, citing sources at the British Foreign Office.
The source said the Foreign Office was almost certain that Han Zheng would be sent to London. The official invitation was addressed to Chinese President Xi Jinping, but protocol stipulates that the seat of the invited leader may be taken by a person of his choice. The candidacy of Xi Jinping’s deputy, who took over the post a month ago, seems highly problematic to The Daily Telegraph, as it was Han Zheng who oversaw the mainland’s policy toward Hong Kong for the past five years, which has drawn harsh criticism in London, leading to a deterioration in British-Chinese relations.
“This man is responsible for the fact that an international treaty, the Sino-British Joint Declaration [1984 on the transfer of Hong Kong to the PRC], was being destroyed, during which Hong Kong authorities persecuted peaceful pro-democracy activists. To have this man here is simply outrageous, given the role he has played,” the former head of the ruling Conservative Party in Britain, Ian Duncan Smith, told the newspaper.
Conservative MP Tim Laughton said that choosing Han Zheng to attend the coronation would be “an insult to the freedom-loving people” of Britain. His presence at the ceremony was also opposed by former cabinet member Simon Clarke. Buckingham Palace refrained from commenting on the topic.
The controversy over Han Zheng’s possible visit comes amid a broader discussion about London’s policy toward Beijing. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly gave a speech on April 26 in which he warned against a cold war with the PRC and said ties with China should be maintained and developed on the condition that the kingdom put national security interests first and continue to openly criticize Beijing if it “violates its international obligations.” The position of the head of the Foreign Office has displeased a number of members of the ruling party, who demand that China be officially declared a threat to the kingdom and be much more careful in building relations with it.
The coronation of Charles III will take place in the presence of 2,000 people in Westminster Abbey in London on May 6, eight months after the death of Elizabeth II. Invitations to the ceremony were extended to the leaders of France, Hungary, Ireland, Poland, the Philippines, the Kings of Spain and Sweden, the Prince of Monaco, the Imperial House of Japan, the leaders of the European Union, representatives of the British political establishment and the new First Minister of Scotland Hamza Yousaf, who holds Republican views.
In a telephone conversation with Charles III, U.S. President Joe Biden said that his wife, Jill Biden, would represent his country at the coronation. Danish Queen Margrethe II will miss the ceremony because of a surgery. Russian Ambassador to Great Britain Andrei Kelin said that he did not expect an invitation to the coronation in the current political realities.
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