Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations her Department has made to the Chinese government on the detention and forcible disappearance of Gao Zhisheng and other religious leaders.

The UK Government is aware of reports concerning the disappearance of Gao Zhisheng and other religious leaders. We continue to follow developments closely and regularly raise human rights concerns with the Chinese authorities.

We remain committed to promoting human rights and the rule of law globally. We continue to work with partners and in multilateral fora to end arbitrary detention, to advocate for those who have been arbitrarily detained to be released, and to demand accountability. We call on all states that engage in the practice of politically motivated detention and enforced disappearance to respect their international obligations and commitments.