China launches reciprocal countermeasures to UK Parliament's ambassadorial ban

China has taken reciprocal countermeasures regarding the United Kingdom Parliament's recent decision to prevent China’s ambassador from attending events in Parliament, a source close to the matter told the Global Times on Friday.

According to a Global Times report, the anonymous source said that it is no surprise that China has taken reciprocal countermeasures as “no-one should expect that China will swallow a bitter fruit against national dignity” because China today is not the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Last week, the House of Commons and House of Lords speakers announced that Zheng Zeguang, China's ambassador to the UK, was not allowed to attend a summer reception of the All Party Parliamentary China Group, scheduled for Sept 15, despite having been invited.

China’s Foreign Ministry and the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress, the country’s top legislature, replied by saying that China would take necessary corresponding measures.

Previously, China announced sanctions against nine British individuals and four entities that “maliciously spread lies and disinformation”, triggering the ban from the UK last week.

However, it was the UK who first decided to impose sanctions on Chinese individuals and entities "based on disinformation and under the pretext of so-called human rights abuse in Xinjiang".

Britain’s ban is “wrongful” and will only harm its own image, undermine China-UK friendly exchanges and the common interests of the people of the two countries, the source said.

Analysts said the UK's ban is rare and hysterical, saying it reflected the UK's condescending attitude toward China, which is "I can slap whatever sanction on you, but you cannot slap me back."

The UK should shake off its obsession about reviving its old colonial-era glory and adjust its mindset to a rising China. Bungling bilateral relations with Beijing will only be an act of shooting itself in the foot, the Global Times report said.