Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the decision to reduce official development assistance spending on future trends in the level of Chinese influence on developing nations.

We are facing a once-in-a-generation moment for the collective security of Europe. This Government is serious about our own defence and bearing our part of the burden for collective defence as part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). As the Prime Minister said in his statement to Parliament on 25 February, we must increase our security and defence spending.

While this will be funded through the difficult but necessary reductions to development assistance, this Government remains fully committed to the UK playing a globally significant role on development; it is both in our national interest and in the interest of our partners across the globe.

China has made a significant contribution to economic development and growth across the world, and the UK and China have over a decade of constructive engagement on international development, to support delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals. However, we also recognise the potential risks that Chinese overseas investment can present, which is why this Government is co-operating where we can, competing where we need to, and challenging where we must.