Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his sanctioning of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps XPCC, what penalties apply to UK-based companies that continue to contract with the XPCC.

On 22 March, we imposed sanctions under the Global Human Rights sanctions regime against the Public Security Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, along with four senior Chinese officials responsible for the serious human rights violations that take place in Xinjiang.

Full details of the prohibitions put in place by financial sanctions can be found in the General Guidance for Financial Sanctions published by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/961516/General_Guidance_-_UK_Financial_Sanctions.pdf. Breaching financial sanctions is a criminal offence and may result in a prosecution or a monetary penalty. The maximum value of a monetary penalty ranges from 50% of the value of total breach, or £1 million - whichever is the greater value.