Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement by the European Commission that the government of China has run “targeted influence operations and disinformation campaigns" about COVID-19; and whether they are aware of any other attempts by that government to spread false views in order to damage democracy in the West.

The Government takes the issues of disinformation seriously and our priority is to protect UK citizens from disinformation by any actor. We condemn any intentionally false claims in relation to Covid-19, which are a distraction from the important global efforts and cooperation needed to beat the virus. From the outset of the crisis we have outlined the importance of all countries providing timely, transparent and accurate data as an essential part of an effective response. We are working with our international partners, to protect our democracies against disinformation.