China lifts sanctions on British lawmakers following Starmer talks: See full list here

China has lifted sanctions on six British Members of Parliament (MPs) and peers following high-level talks between Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and President Xi Jinping.

This move marks a major development in UK-China relations.

The news was confirmed by Sir Keir Starmer, who said that China has removed travel bans and restrictions that were put in 2021, BBC reports.

The sanctions were imposed on four Conservative MPs and two members of the House of Lords, all of whom previously criticised China’s human rights record, especially in Xinjiang.

The lawmakers were:

• Members of Parliament
• Sir Iain Dunan Smith
• Nusrat Ghani
• Tom Tugendhat
• Neil O’Brein
• Tim Loughton (no longer an MP)

Members of the House of Lords

• Baroness Helena Kennedy
• Lord David Alton

This was described as a “clear win” by Sir Keir, who said it proved the right decision to make the visit to China, which was the first by a British prime minister since 2018. 

He said that direct engagement between leaders had allowed space to deal with sensitive issues that had been straining relations between the two countries.

Responding to the announcement, the Chinese foreign ministry stated that both sides had agreed to resume regular parliamentary exchanges and added that Beijing welcomed British lawmakers who are willing to visit and “experience the real China.”

However, this decision has prompted a mixed response in the UK. A joint statement has been issued in which sanctioned MPs stated that they didn’t want to be treated as a bargaining chip. 

Rather, they prefer to remain under sanctions instead of seeing pressure eased on Chinese officials accused of human rights abuses.

They also clarified that they will not accept the ban if academics and civil society figures still remain under sanctions.

The ban was imposed in response to Western sanctions on China over alleged abuses against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. China persistently denied all such accusations.

The realignment of the UK-China relationship comes under the broader efforts by Sir Keir to boost trade and investment.

His visit to China has drawn criticism from opposition Conservatives and from U.S. President Donald Trump, who warned that increasing economic ties with China can be “very dangerous.”