A snub by American senators to two provisional legislators visiting the US has been described as narrow-minded.
The criticism came from David Chu Yu-lin. He and fellow provisional legislator Ambrose Lau Hon-chuen are among a seven-member Legislative Council delegation refused sponsorship by the US Government due to some senators' opposition to the interim body.
The cost of the trip, believed to be about $200,000, is to be met by the unofficial US National Committee on United States-China Relations, which invited the group.
The delegation was scheduled to be briefed by Congress on its structure and legislative process.
But before it left on Saturday, the group received a letter opposing the visit by the two provisional legislators.
Senator Craig Thomas wrote to the United States Information Agency and demanded the two interim legislators be excluded. He said 'inclusion sends the signal to Beijing that we place members of the provisional legislature on a par with Legco'.