British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn plans to press Xi Jinping on China’s human rights record
Corbyn has taken a strong stance on human rights abuses and successfully pressed David Cameron to drop a prisons deal with Saudi Arabia.
Jeremy Corbyn will attempt to challenge China on their human rights record when he attends a state banquet to be held by the Queen for the country’s president, Xi Jinping, next week. There had been speculation that Corbyn, as a republican, could send a substitute to the banquet but Labour has since confirmed he will attend Buckingham Palace for the ceremonial dinner.
A spokesman for the Labour leader said: “He will be using the opportunity next week to raise the issue of human rights. There are meetings being discussed, and if he gets private meetings he will be raising it at those meetings. That is the right thing to do.”
He will be using the opportunity next week to raise the issue of human rights
It is Corbyn’s first invitation to a Buckingham Palace state dinner in his role as leader of the opposition. He was unable to make a previous visit to the royal residence to be sworn into the privy council, although he is expected to do so soon to receive classified security briefings.
Since becoming Labour leader, Corbyn has taken a strong stance on the raising of human rights abuses with other states, and successfully pressed David Cameron to drop a prisons deal with Saudi Arabia.
China has been criticised by campaigners for jailing critics of its communist government, media censorship and restricting personal freedom. However, George Osborne, stressed economic issues, rather than human rights, when he visited China for a trade trip last month.
