China denies visas to German lawmakers over their human rights criticism
- Germany’s parliament says human rights committee is denied entry, and another committee scraps a trip after MP is barred for speaking out on China’s rights record
- Barred MP says she has been monitored for a decade since Chinese officials asked her to decline invitation to World Uygur Congress in Germany
Two groups of German MPs recently cancelled trips to China due to visa restrictions, as Beijing stepped up diplomatic clashes with lawmakers in the European country that has been most vocal on Chinese human rights issues.
The German parliament, the Bundestag, announced that its human rights committee was not allowed entry to China for a planned trip to Beijing, Tibet and the western region of Xinjiang, which had been scheduled for next month.
Another group of MPs from the digital affairs committee has also decided to scrap a trip in late August to Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing after China refused to grant a visa to a delegate who has been outspoken about its human rights record and an avid supporter of the dissident artist Ai Weiwei.
A diplomatic source in Europe told the South China Morning Post that China was adamant in rejecting the two groups, although negotiations were continuing. “The message is plain and simple: China does not welcome any politicians who are biased against it,” the source said.
China’s embassy in Germany declined to comment about the visa issue, but the strong resistance from Beijing shows China’s readiness to block critical European lawmakers from visiting the country.
