Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage (1) trade with China, and (2) investment in the Chinese economy.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
China is an important trading partner for the UK, and we are pursuing increased bilateral trade.
The Department identifies market opportunities through its dedicated trade and investment network in major cities across China, which is ready to provide advice and support to ensure UK businesses take full advantage of emerging opportunities.
The Department for International Trade (DIT) and its delivery partners provide support for UK-based companies’ outward investments in China and other jurisdictions where there is a positive impact on the UK economy.
As an open economy, we welcome foreign trade and investment, including from China, where it supports UK growth and jobs. But we will not accept investments which compromise our national security.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel on 23 September (HL7967), what plans they have to introduce legislation to ban the import of all goods mined, produced, or manufactured in Xinjiang, unless there is evidence that the goods were not produced using forced labour.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
HM Government has serious concerns about the situation in Xinjiang, with reports of the use of forced labour. It has always been the case that where we have concerns, we raise them – as we did on this issue at the UN Human Rights Council, most recently in September.
We advise businesses with supply chain links in Xinjiang to conduct appropriate due diligence to satisfy themselves that their activities do not support, or risk being seen to be supporting, any violations or abuses of rights and responsibilities. However, we do not currently have plans to ban imports from Xinjiang.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent the import of items manufactured in factories which use forced labour of Uyghurs in China.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
HM Government have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang, with credible reports of the use of forced labour. It has always been the case that, where we have concerns, we raise them, as we did on this issue at the UN Human Rights Council in March. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.
HM Government is committed to eliminating modern slavery. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 made Britain the first country in the world to require businesses to report on how they are tackling modern slavery, including forced labour, in their operations and supply chains. Section 54 of the Act was designed to empower consumers, investors, civil society and others to scrutinise the action that businesses are taking to identify and address modern slavery in their operations and supply chains.