Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Chinese counterpart on reports of the internment of Muslims in Xinjiang province; and if he will make a statement.

We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and reports of the Chinese Government’s deepening crackdown, including credible reports of re-education camps and widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities.

The UK supports the statement of 26 October by the European External Action Service highlighting concerns about Xinjiang.

I raised our concerns about Xinjiang with Vice Minister Guo Yezhou during my visit to China on 22 July 2018. The Foreign Secretary, Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, also raised our concerns about the region with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to China on 30 July 2018. The UK raised our concerns about Xinjiang in our Item 4 statement at the September UN Human Rights Council.

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