On the last minute, the historical Magna Carta was removed from public viewing at Renmin University in Beijing due to certain practicalities, as the per Foreign and Commonwealth office spokesperson.  

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It was transferred suddenly to the British Ambassador's residence. The exhibition in China was part of a seven-country tour to commemorate the Magna Carta's 800^th anniversary.

The Magna Carta or the Great Charter of the Liberties is a document signed by King John of England on June 15, 1215. It includes civil rights proposed by a mutiny of Barons. The document defines civil and church rights, justice, illegal imprisonment and homage to the Crown. It was drafted by the Archbishop of the Canterbury. However, the agreement was annulled by Pope Innocent III after none of the barons kept their commitments.

This document was deemed inappropriate and sensitive by the Communist Party of China as it would allegedly give ideas to impressionable young people of China against the current government.

Observers have warned that the incident could complicate President Xi's visit to the UK less than a week from now. It could also derail the Chinese goverment's plans to invest in a British nuclear power plant and the country's infrastructure.

The exhibition of the Magna Carta was scheduled to take place in Guangzhou and Shanghai after Beijing. But, as it stands, it is unlikely those exhibitions would be staged. Aside from the limited access and viewing, the search for Magna Carta in China's social media has also been limited.

The People's Republic of China has been under the Communist Party of China, founded in 1921, for many decades. The party was organized on the basis of democratic centralism, inspired by the Russian Marxist Vladimir Lenin. 

TagsMagna Carta, United Kingdom