Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on the detention of Pastor Wang Yi.

I have not had recent discussions with my Chinese counterpart on the detention of Pastor Wang Yi. However, we have raised our concerns about the closure of churches in China, including the Early Rain Covenant Church, which Pastor Wang Yi founded. British diplomats met with Chinese officials earlier this year and expressed concern regarding the pressures facing Christians. They directly raised Pastor Wang’s case. In January, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, the Prime Minister’s former Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief, raised concerns about the case in the House of Lords.

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