British MPs Head to China After Years of Silence

A group of twelve lawmakers from both major parties is set to travel to China this month, marking the first time in seven years that British parliamentarians have visited the country. The trip is arranged by a nonprofit organization linked to the government that aims to strengthen ties with China. Details about who will be on the delegation and what they will do remain under wraps, as officials are still finalising plans. The organisation and the foreign office have not yet responded to inquiries. The visit comes after a series of trips by UK politicians to Taiwan, an island that China claims as part of its territory. In recent years, the Chinese government has imposed sanctions on several British citizens for spreading what it calls false information about human rights in Xinjiang. Some of those sanctions were lifted after the prime minister met with China’s leader, a meeting that both sides called a reset.Relations had cooled during the pandemic over issues of human rights and spying. China still holds sanctions against a few British scholars, lawyers, and organisations. The parliamentarians’ journey follows a similar trip by European lawmakers earlier this year. That visit was the first in eight years after China eased restrictions on some EU representatives. The return of parliamentary visits signals a cautious reopening of dialogue between the UK and China, but concerns over espionage allegations and plans for a large Chinese embassy in London remain. This week, a court in London found two men guilty of spying for Hong Kong and China, targeting pro‑democracy activists now living in Britain. The men denied the charges, while the Chinese embassy in London accused Britain of fabricating the case.