Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of alleged breaches of international law in China regarding the freedom of religion and freedom to worship without being harassed.

We remain concerned by the human rights situation in China, not least all restrictions to freedom of religion or belief.

As a member of the UN Human Rights Council, China is bound to respect the international commitments to which it is a party. As such, we consistently call on China to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – we last did so at the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in April.

We continue to raise areas where we assess China’s actions are not in line with either its international human rights commitments or its own constitution. We highlight these, and our broader range of concerns, in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy. We also make representations in international fora such as the UN Human Rights Council.