China has banned  a group of British lawmakers from entering Hong Kong territory after the British members have signified their intention of investigating China's handling of the ongoing pro-democracy protests there.

China's refusal to grant visa to the British members of Parliament last Friday came after a British lawmaker was denied a visa to the mainland by China saying his attitude towards the Hong Kong protesters was "unacceptable." The lawmaker had served as a diplomat in China during the past year.

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The head of the British House of Commons Foreign Affairs head, Richard Ottaway, said the legislative body has planned to hold emergency debates on Hong Kong in Parliament on Monday.

China's hard line stance in granting access to British critics of the Hong Kong protests came on the heels of Prime Minister David Cameron's plans to seek more trade investments with Beijing.

Reports said Cameron has been trying to silence critics of the protests in Hong Kong in exchange for more British  businesses and trade in Beijing and more Chinese trade in Britain.

Reports said that Britain is seeking to cement its relationship with Beijing with Prince William accepting an invitation from China. The Prince will visit the mainland next spring.

Ottaway said in London last friday that  he and his colleagues have been informed by the Chinese Embassy that if and when they arrive in Hong Kong, they will be denied entry.

Ottaway said that China is being "confrontational" about the whole incident and that Beijing's actions are preventing them from doing their jobs.

"The Foreign Affairs Committee, which oversees the Foreign Office, has been questioning Britain's relations with the Hong Kong government," Ottaway said.

In a statement, the British Foreign Office said that Beijing's refusal to grant the delegation  access to Hong Kong was "regrettable" and ran counter to the recent trend of positive relations between the two countries.

The statement further said  that Beijing's actions contravened the spirit of the joint declaration 30 years ago between them on Hong Kong.

TagsUK, visa, mainland, pro-democracy protests, Hong Kong