China: Dalian Hoffen Bio-technique

(asked on 11th March 2019) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what investigations they have conducted into Dalian Hoffen Bio-technique Co. Ltd, based in Dalian, China, who advertise plastinated corpses, including pregnant females, and in particular, into the origins and amounts of such bodies they have access to and their statement that they have partners on every continent, including throughout Europe; and what conclusions they have reached from any such investigations.


Answered by
 Portrait
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This question was answered on 19th March 2019

We are aware of reports that allege that organ harvesting may be taking place in China, including suggestions that minority and religious groups are being specifically targeted.

We consider the Kilgour, Gutmann and Matas report to be important sources of information about China’s organ transplant system. These reports rightly question the lack of transparency in China’s organ transplant system, whilst acknowledging that it is very difficult to identify the source of those organs and verify the number of organ transplants conducted in China.

However, as the Minister for Europe and the Americas said in a Westminster Hall debate in October 2016: “Although I do not doubt the need to maintain close scrutiny of organ transplant practices in China, we believe that the evidence base is not sufficiently strong to substantiate claims about the systematic harvesting of organs from minority groups. Indeed, based on all the evidence available to us, we cannot conclude that this practice of “organ harvesting” is definitely happening in China.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) collates global data on organ donations and works with China. The WHO view is that China is implementing an ethical, voluntary organ transplant system in accordance with international standards, although the WHO does have concerns about overall transparency.

The British Government is aware of the technique to plastinate human bodies exported from China for exhibition and for medical research. We have not made inquiries with the Chinese government or Dalian Hoffen Bio-Technique Co. Ltd on this matter, but continue to monitor media coverage.

We will continue to review any new evidence that is presented to us.

Reticulating Splines