UK–China Economic and Financial Strategy Dialogue

Lord Mackinlay of Richborough Excerpts

Tuesday 4th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Mackinlay of Richborough (Con)]

My Lords, does the Minister have any discomfiture at all about his Government going to China and begging for investment and trade while many parliamentarians in this Palace remain sanctioned by the Chinese regime?

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

I completely disagree with the noble Lord’s characterisation of the Chancellor’s visit to China. As I said, we must and will continue to engage with our international partners in trade and investment, and that includes engaging with China. We cannot ignore the fact that China is the second-largest economy worldwide and our fourth-largest trading partner, with exports supporting close to half a million jobs in the UK. We need to help British businesses export around the world, and that includes to China. On human rights and the parliamentary sanctions that the noble Lord talks about, the Chancellor did raise those—absolutely—but she believes that, unless we open that dialogue, we will be unable to raise the concerns that we have.