China ‘actively considering’ sending high-level delegation to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral

President Xi Jinping has already sent condolences to King Charles and Vice-President Wang Qishan visited the British embassy in Beijing to pay tribute
A number of world leaders, including Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron, are expected to attend the ceremony in London

China-UK relations

Kawala Xie

Published: 5:45pm, 14 Sep 2022

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China is “actively considering” sending a high-level delegation to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in London next Monday, the foreign ministry in Beijing has said.

Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the ministry, told a regular press conference on Wednesday that Beijing will release further information when appropriate.

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent condolences to King Charles on the day of the queen’s death, saying her passing was “a great loss for the British people” and vowing to continue working with the new king on the two countries’ relations.

Foreign leaders asked to catch bus to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral

Vice-President Wang Qishan paid tribute to the late queen at the British embassy in Beijing on Tuesday. Wang praised Queen Elizabeth’s contribution to China-UK relations amid the 50th anniversary of the establishment of their bilateral relations this year.

Most Commonwealth leaders – including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – and European leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier have confirmed their attendance at the funeral. US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will also make the trip.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is one of the few leaders who did not receive an invitation to the funeral following the invasion of Ukraine, along with the leaders of Belarus and Myanmar, according to the Press Association, which cited government sources.

The Kremlin has confirmed that Putin’s personal attendance at the funeral is not “an option” and the Myanmar government has been sanctioned by Britain over last year’s coup.

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Hongkongers remember Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth’s death has attracted widespread interest in China. Multiple topics relating to her life topped the Chinese social media platform Weibo’s trending chart after her death last week.

In Hong Kong, people queued to lay flowers at the British consulate. Flowers were also seen at a tree that Queen Elizabeth planted during her visit to Guangzhou in 1986.

She was the first British head of state to visit mainland China in 1986, after an agreement reached between the two countries to return Hong Kong to Beijing’s control in 1997.