Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of China regarding recent reports that bishops are (1) secretly detained, (2) placed under house arrest, and (3) subjected to forced disappearance and "patriotic education"; and further to the jailing of Pastor Hao Zhiwei in February, what assessment they have made of his sentencing.

We are concerned by reports that Pastor Hao Zhiwei was sentenced to eight years in prison in February on fraud charges. This adds to our deep concern about restrictions on freedom of religion or belief in China. We regularly raise our concerns about human rights violations and freedom of religion or belief directly with the Chinese authorities and in multilateral fora. Most recently, the Foreign Secretary underlined our concerns in an address to the UN Human Rights Council on 1 March.