Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress she has made in discussions with the Chinese Government on the resumption of direct scheduled flights from the UK to China following the unilateral ban imposed by China in 2021.

The UK Government understands the impact that the ongoing suspension of direct flights has had on the business, academia and tourism sectors, as well as those separated from family and friends. The Department for Transport and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have been working together to seek agreement from the Chinese Government for the necessary conditions to be met to provide for the resumption of direct scheduled passenger services. We continue to raise this in Beijing and London at the highest levels.