Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the UK's Permanent Representative at the UN on the security situation in the South China Sea.

We oppose the militarisation of the South China Sea and we urge all parties to respect freedom of navigation and settle their disputes peacefully in accordance with international law. We do not comment on the content of discussions between ministers and their officials. However, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), discusses the full range of issues related to the UN with our Permanent Representative to the UN.