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Liberal MP Andrew Hastie has refused to apologise for criticising China after being told he would need to "repent" to visit the country. Mr Hastie and Liberal senator James Paterson were due to travel to Beijing in December with Labor MP Matt Keogh as part of a study tour organised by think tank China Matters. But the pair were denied visas after being critical of Beijing. The Chinese embassy said the Liberal politicians could travel to China if they apologised for their remarks. "As long as the people concerned genuinely repent and redress their mistakes, view China with objectivity and reason, respect China's system and mode of development chosen by the Chinese people, the door of dialogue and exchanges will always remain open," a spokesperson said. But Mr Hastie has no intention of scaling back his criticism of Chinese attempts to exert influence in Australia and human rights abuses against Uighurs in Xinjiang province. "Senator James Paterson and I will not repent," he said on Sunday. "Let me be very clear, we will not repent for standing up for Australian sovereignty, our values, our interests, and for those who can't speak for themselves." The West Australian MP admits his chances of visiting China are slim. "I am very much open to a trip in the new year, but I suspect unless I repent I won't be welcome. There will be no repentance," he said. The Chinese Embassy says the country is open to constructive dialogue and exchanges with people all around the world. "The Chinese people do not welcome those who make unwarranted attacks, wantonly exert pressure on China, challenge China's sovereignty, disrespect China's dignity and undermine mutual trust between China and Australia," the spokesperson said. "The colonial days of Western powers are long gone. China will never yield to colonisation of ideas and values." Labor frontbencher Stephen Jones called the decision to block the MPs unfortunate, saying more would be gained by allowing them to get a better understanding of China. "If the purpose behind this is to try and change their minds or change the things they're going to say, I rather suspect it's going to have the opposite impact knowing these two people," he told Sky News on Sunday. "(It's) probably playing into their hands rather than the other way." Australian Associated Press

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