Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Minister for Asia made representations to the Chinese Ambassador on the matter of slave labour in UK supply chains with particular reference to Xinjiang during their meeting of 15 December 2021; and whether the Ambassador provided assurances that UK customers will not be purchasing Uyghur slave made goods.

As referenced in my response to written questions 98338 and 98339, I [Minister Milling] raised the UK's serious concerns regarding human rights in Xinjiang during my meeting with Ambassador Zheng on 15 December. The UK has taken robust action to help ensure that no British organisations are profiting from or contributing to human rights violations against the Uyghurs or other minorities. We have introduced new guidance for UK businesses on the risks of doing business in Xinjiang - supported by a programme of Ministerial engagement - and announced enhanced export controls, as well as a commitment to introduce financial penalties for non-compliance with section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act.