Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to reports of possible human rights, modern slavery, and security concerns relating to exports from China, what plans they have to establish a trade agreement with the government of China; what sectors any such agreement would cover; and what assessment they have made of whether any such agreement would meet the Government's environmental, food, and animal welfare standards.

HM Government is clear that trade does not have to come at the expense of our values.

Our focus at the current time is negotiating Free Trade Agreements with the United States of America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand; alongside considering accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

We do not currently have plans to negotiate a free trade agreement with China.

China is – and remains – an important trading partner for the United Kingdom.