The tight links between China and Djibouti led to the deportation of a Conservative MP on a trip to the East African nation.
The elderly member of the House of Commons home affairs committee was detained before being told he could not enter the country and would be evacuated immediately.
East Worthing and Shoreham MP Tim Loughton alleged earlier this month that he was denied entrance to Djibouti and held for almost seven hours.
Supposedly, no one has ever tried such lengths against a British national in Djibouti.
China has spent billions of dollars in Dijbouti to acquire political power, and Loughton thinks that authorities there have targeted him because of his outspoken criticism of the Chinese government.
According to Loughton, who was hit with Chinese penalties in 2021, the ordeal was very lonely and terrifying.
The claims were unfounded, according to China’s foreign ministry.
During his 24-hour tour to Djibouti, Loughton met with the British ambassador.
Upon his arrival, he was interrogated about his activities, and his passport was examined. He said he was placed on the next available departing aircraft.
Although Djiboutian officials have the right to reject admission, the UK government is looking for further details about this particular issue, according to the spokeswoman.
Chinese authorities sanctioned five members of parliament in 2021, including Loughton, for disseminating what the Chinese government saw as “lies and disinformation” against the nation.
It was a response to the UK government’s actions over human rights violations committed against the Muslim minority of Uighurs.
Loughton has brought attention to China’s human rights abuse record as a co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Tibet.
In 2019, he introduced the Reciprocal Access Bill to the House of Commons to push for action against Chinese authorities that blocked access to Tibet.
In addition, he plays a pivotal role in the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers from across the world who are trying to change how democracies deal with China.
He has good reason to suspect that this was retaliatory.
