Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of China about the case of Lee Ming-Che, a Taiwanese citizen, who was sentenced to five years in prison for calling for democratic change in China on the internet; and what response they have received.

We continue to follow the case of Lee Ming-Che through our Embassy in Beijing. We have not raised this specific case with our Chinese counterparts, however, we do regularly bring up human rights issues when having discussions with our Chinese interlocutors.

We regularly make clear our concerns about the increasing restrictions on civil and political rights and freedom of expression in China. In late 2018 we contributed to the Universal Periodic Review on China, including questions on the treatment of prisoners. We call on China to release those individuals detained for seeking to protect the rights of others. We also continue to highlight our concerns about the Foreign Non-Governmental Organisation law, restrictions of freedom of religion and belief, LGBT rights, the death penalty and the treatment of ethnic minorities.