Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK journalists have been (a) denied access to and (b) expelled from (i) Tibet and (ii) China in the last five years.

We do not hold statistics of the number of UK journalists who have been denied access to, or expelled from, Tibet and China in the last five years.

Access to Tibet by all foreign passport holders is heavily restricted by the Chinese authorities. This includes journalists. We continue to urge the Chinese authorities to lift the visit restrictions imposed on foreigners. The Government regards the Tibet Autonomous Region as part of the People’s Republic of China, and we consistently urge China to respect all fundamental rights, including in Tibet, in line with both its own constitution and the international frameworks to which it is a party.

Access to other parts of the People’s Republic of China is more freely given to UK journalists, but under certain restrictions. All UK nationals wishing to visit to travel and work in China should pay close attention to the FCO Travel Advice which is regularly updated.