Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have, if any, regarding the whereabouts and well-being of Bishop Vincent Guo Xijin, a Chinese Catholic Bishop detained by Chinese police; and when they last raised with the government of China the obligations of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, concerning freedom of religion or belief.

We are aware of reports that Bishop Vincent Guo Xijin was detained by the Chinese Authorities on 26 March. My officials continue to monitor his case and seek further information about his whereabouts and condition.

We regularly raise our concerns about human rights with the Chinese Authorities. The Prime Minister raised human rights when she visited China earlier this year. We last raised freedom of religion or belief at the UK-China human rights dialogue, which was held in Beijing on 27 June 2017. We also issued an Item 4 statement at the 35th UN Human Rights Council in the same month reiterating our concerns.