China: Foreign Relations

(asked on 29th July 2024) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what security concerns they raised during the meeting between the Foreign Secretary and the Foreign Minister of China at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting held in Vientiane on 26 July, and whether they discussed the use of Chinese surveillance technology in the UK, the presence of Chinese intelligence agents in the Palace of Westminster, the infiltration by China of research programmes in British Universities, and China’s military threats against Taiwan during this meeting.


Answered by
Baroness Chapman of Darlington Portrait
Baroness Chapman of Darlington
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This question was answered on 8th August 2024

On 26 July, the Foreign Secretary met China's Director of Foreign Affairs Commission Office and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting in Vientiane, Laos. The Foreign Secretary outlined this government's vision for a long-term, consistent and strategic approach to UK-China relations. He set out that the government would cooperate where we can, compete where needed and challenge where we must. The Foreign Secretary made clear the UK would always stand firm in prioritising our national security and set out the government's position on Taiwan.

Reticulating Splines