Asked by: Lord Steel of Aikwood (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the outcome of the election in Taiwan; and in particular, of its impact on Hong Kong.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary’s statement on 11 January noted that the presidential and legislative elections in Taiwan were testament to Taiwan’s vibrant democracy. He congratulated the people of Taiwan on the smooth conduct of those elections and to Dr Tsai Ing-wen and her party on her re-election. The Foreign Secretary expressed his hope that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait would renew dialogue to resolve differences and build constructive relations across the Strait.
We have not yet made an assessment of the impact of the elections in Taiwan on Hong Kong. It is clear, however, that many people in Hong Kong followed the elections with interest.
Asked by: Lord Steel of Aikwood (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the general election result in Israel.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Following the election that took place in Israel on 9 April, Israeli political parties are now engaged in coalition formation discussions. The UK looks forward to continuing its excellent relationship with the Israeli Government and to working closely together on shared areas of interest.
Asked by: Lord Steel of Aikwood (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recognition by the President of the United States of Israel's sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights; and what discussions they have had, or intend to have, with the government of the United States about that recognition.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 26 March officials from our Embassy in Washington raised our concerns with US counterparts about the US Presidential Proclamation recognising that the Golan Heights are part of the State of Israel. We are clear that the UK views the Golan Heights as territory occupied by Israel. Annexation of territory by force is prohibited under international law, including the UN Charter. The UK did not recognise Israel's annexation in 1981 and we have no plans to change our position. On 26 March we reiterated our firm position on this matter at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
Asked by: Lord Steel of Aikwood (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to invite the President of Angola to visit the UK in order to discuss his stated wish to have his country join the Commonwealth.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to deepening our bilateral relationship with Angola. Decisions on Commonwealth membership are made by consensus by all Commonwealth member states. The UK is supportive of Angola's aspiration to join the Commonwealth, provided it meets the criteria for membership. The Permanent Under Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office discussed this matter with the Angolan Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs during his visit to Luanda in August 2018. There are no immediate plans for the President of Angola to visit the UK, but he would be very welcome to visit.
Asked by: Lord Steel of Aikwood (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations, if any, they have made to secure an observer place for Taiwan at the forthcoming General Assembly of Interpol, and for that country to have access to the I-24/7 global police communications system.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British Government believes that the people of Taiwan have a valuable contribution to make towards global issues such as organised crime. Their involvement would, in our view, improve co-operation on issues that pose a risk to the international community, including the United Kingdom and our own people. Although the UK has not made any representations to secure Taiwan’s observer status at INTERPOL this year, we are discussing this issue with international partners, including those countries on the INTERPOL Executive Committee.
Asked by: Lord Steel of Aikwood (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take measures to protect British Airways and any other UK companies from being pressured into changing the designation of Taiwan to Taiwan, China.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Her Majesty's Government's long-standing policy on Taiwan has not changed. The British government refers to Taiwan as simply "Taiwan" and, when included in a list of places, does so under an inclusive heading, such as "country/territory" or "world locations". When guidance has been sought from Her Majesty's Government on the terminology to use, we have been clear about the British Government's terminology for Taiwan.
Private companies and organisations should be able to decide the terminology that they use to list destinations. UK companies should not be placed under political pressure to make changes. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Officials have registered our concern with the Chinese Government on this point.
Asked by: Lord Steel of Aikwood (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Zimbabwe to ensure that the electoral commission is genuinely independent prior to the forthcoming elections.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary met Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Sibusiso Moyo on 20 April and our Ambassador met President Mnangagwa on 5 May to discuss Zimbabwe’s upcoming elections. At these meetings, we were clear that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) must be neutral and enjoy the confidence of all parties contesting the elections. While we welcome the appointment of a new ZEC Chair, the organisation must be scrupulously impartial and ensure it deals with all stakeholders equally.
Asked by: Lord Steel of Aikwood (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following the European Court of Justice decision on 27 February on the EU–Morocco Fisheries Agreement, they will meet with the new representative of MINURSO to expedite settlement of the Western Sahara status.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
My colleague, the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, has met the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, former German President Horst Koehler, twice in the last two months and our Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Jonathan Allen, has met the new Head of MINURSO, Colin Stewart. They have underlined the UK's firm support for the UN-led efforts to find a solution to the Western Sahara issue. We note the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement. This ruling now passes to the High Court of England and Wales, so it would be inappropriate for me to comment further at this stage.
Asked by: Lord Steel of Aikwood (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for cross-straits harmony and stability of the announcement by China on 4 January of four air routes in the Taiwan Straits without prior communication with Taiwan and of Taiwan's belief that this violates the negotiation results reached between the Taipei Airlines Association and China Air Transport Association in March 2015; and what representations they intend to make to the government of China in this regard.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We understand that the opening of the four new air routes in the Taiwan Strait on 4 January is a cause of concern for the authorities in Taiwan.
Her Majesty's Government is assessing whether the introduction of these new northbound flights in the Straits will have any impact on aviation safety in the region.
In line with our longstanding position, we encourage China and Taiwan to engage in dialogue to resolve this issue.
Asked by: Lord Steel of Aikwood (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to support the participation of Taiwan in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The United Kingdom believes that Taiwan has a valuable contribution to make on global issues such as the Sustainable Development Goals
The UK's longstanding policy on Taiwan remains the same. The UK supports Taiwanese membership of international organisations where statehood is not a pre-requisite for membership. In situations where Taiwanese membership of international organisations is not possible, we welcome pragmatic solutions that allow Taiwan to contribute to the global good, such as Taiwan's voluntary efforts to support the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.