UK–China Economic and Financial Strategy Dialogue

Baroness O'Loan Excerpts

Tuesday 4th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

I absolutely understand the point that the noble Lord raises. There are different priorities that we need to balance as we make policy and move forward. As he says, there is the industrial strategy priority of making sure that we have a competitive and thriving car industry in the UK, and there is also the objective of making sure that we achieve our net-zero objectives. Transport is a major component of that, so electric vehicles will play a very important part as we move towards our net-zero targets. Absolutely, we have to balance those objectives, and I am very aware of the issues that the noble Lord raises.

[Baroness O’Loan (CB)]

My Lords, the Minister told us that the Chancellor spoke about the sanctioning of Members of your Lordships’ House and the human rights implications of that appalling situation. Can he tell us whether there were any other discussions in the human rights context in the light of China’s appalling record on human rights?

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

I am grateful to the noble Baroness for her question. Yes, I reassure her that there absolutely were. The UK Government will stand firm on human rights in China and will continue to raise concerns at the highest level of the Chinese Government. In all our engagements with the Chinese Government, we continue to challenge them robustly on human rights violations and continue to raise our concerns at the highest level of the Government. The Prime Minister did so at his meeting at the G20 with President Xi and the Chancellor also raised concerns in a number of areas, including the case of British national Jimmy Lai, the restrictions on rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, human rights abuses and forced labour.