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 implications for his policies of China's treatment of (a) Falun Gong, (b) The Church of Almighty God and (c) Christian practitioners.

The environment for freedom of religion or belief in China is restrictive, which includes the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and Christians. This Government stands firm on human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief. We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and Chancellor have all raised human rights recently with their Chinese counterparts.

More broadly, this Government champions freedom of religion or belief for all abroad. We work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora.