Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Huawei's press article entitled, Safe Mauritius, the Inspiration for Heaven, published in October 2018, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the security provisions within Mauritius’ telecommunications system; and if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of those provisions on the use of the telecommunications system by his Department's officials.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As previously referenced in the Answer to 10968, this is the subject of an ongoing police investigation in Mauritius, and we are unable to provide further comment. We continue to monitor the situation.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will raise the detention in Azerbaijan of Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu during COP29 climate conference in November.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I [Minister Doughty] raised the detention of prominent academic Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov during our call on 31 October, and with Presidential Representative Elchin Amirbayov on 29 October. The UK consistently advocates for Dr Ibadoghlu to receive all appropriate medical access and treatment, and for a fair legal process. We will continue to raise his case alongside wider human rights issues of concern.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to (a) ensure that children of British National (Overseas) passport holders (i) born in the UK and (ii) of Hong Kong descent will not be regarded as Chinese nationals by the People's Republic of China and (b) guarantee their protection under UK law.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
If you're a British national (overseas), your child is a British citizen if both: they were born in the UK, and you were a British citizen or settled in the UK (had 'indefinite leave to remain') when they were born. The FCDO provides consular assistance to British nationals abroad. In some cases, British Nationals of Hong Kong or Chinese descent may be considered Chinese by the Chinese authorities meaning the consular assistance we can provide may be limited. As per our nationality guidance, we advise seeking legal advice where appropriate for individual cases.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports that the British High Commissioner to Mauritius’ phone conversations were leaked; and if he will review the effectiveness of negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The reported event occurred prior to the launch of negotiations in November 2022. This is the subject of an ongoing police investigation in Mauritius, and we are unable to provide further comment.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of statements on the UK's role in the century of humiliation made by Chinese officials at celebrations at the Chinese Embassy of the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the People's Republic of China.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This Government will take a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing the UK's relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests.
We will carry out an audit of the UK's relationship with China as a bilateral and global actor, to improve our ability to understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities China poses.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department advised postponement of the visit to London of former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's longstanding position on Taiwan has not changed. The UK does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan but a strong unofficial relationship based on deep and growing ties in a wide range of areas and underpinned by shared democratic values.
There is a long history of visits between the UK and Taiwan, including many conducted independently of HMG.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 October 2024 to Question 5527 on China and Hong Kong: Diplomatic Service, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Hongkongers who (a) arrived in the UK under the BN(O) scheme and (b) will be naturalised as British citizens are recognised as British nationals by the (i) Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and (ii) Chinese government.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
FCDO's Travel Advice for China explains that China does not recognise dual nationality and anyone born in China to a Chinese national parent would be considered by the Chinese authorities to be of Chinese nationality and treated as a Chinese citizen. This advice applies to all British citizens travelling to China including those naturalised under the BN(O) scheme.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made recent representations to his Azerbaijani counterpart on the detention of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu; and if he will take steps to secure his immediate release on humanitarian grounds.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Since Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu's arrest in July 2023, the UK has consistently advocated for the right to a fair legal process and appropriate medical access, including permission for temporary leave from Azerbaijan to receive specialist medical care abroad, if required. The UK has consistently called on the Azerbaijani Government to protect the human rights and freedoms of all its citizens, and we will continue to work to ensure Dr Ibadoghlu's rights are upheld.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2024 to Question 3938 on Ryan Cornelius, what discussions he had with his UAE counterpart on Ryan Cornelius during his visit to UAE on 5 September 2024.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary raised the importance of consular issues, although not this specific case, during his visit to the UAE on 5 September and first meeting with Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed. The Foreign Secretary and I fully appreciate the importance and urgency of Mr Cornelius' case, on which I have been briefed in detail by my officials. I look forward to meeting Mr Cornelius' family to discuss the detail of his case and HMG support going forward.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with his Chinese counterparts on the release of Jimmy Lai during his visit to China in October 2024.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I met with Sebastien Lai and Jimmy Lai’s international legal team on Tuesday 8 October in my capacity as Minister for the Indo-Pacific. The Foreign Secretary raised Jimmy Lai's case in his first meeting with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the ASEAN Summit on 26 July and his case remains a priority for this Government. We will continue to call on the Hong Kong authorities to end their politically motivated prosecution and immediately release Jimmy Lai. We will continue to press for consular access.