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Lords Chamber
Cybersecurity and UK Democracy - Tue 26 Mar 2024
Cabinet Office

Mentions:
1: Lord Alton of Liverpool (XB - Life peer) of them, such as Jimmy Lai, on trial even as we meet; and with the untold brutality we have seen in Tibet - Speech Link


Written Question
China: Internment
Monday 25th March 2024

Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 7 March (HL2663), whether they have made any estimate of the number of camps, including the so-called anti-extremism centres and re-education camps, in (1) Tibet and (2) the rest of China.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government refers to credible external estimates, in particular those from the United Nations, of numbers of individuals in China detained under various circumstances and within certain geographies. For example, the April 2023 UN Special Procedures found "[h]undreds of thousands of Tibetans have reportedly been 'transferred' from their traditional rural lives to low-skilled and low-paid employment since 2015" noting "the labour transfer programme is facilitated by a network of 'vocational training centres', which focus less on developing professional skills and more on cultural and political indoctrination in a militarised environment." As noted in the Government's response to Written Question HL2663, with regard to the situation in Xinjiang, in 2018 the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination estimated "upwards of a million people were being held in so-called counter-extremism centres and another two million had been forced into what the Chinese refer to as 're-education camps' for political and cultural indoctrination."


Lords Chamber
Hong Kong Security Legislation - Thu 21 Mar 2024
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Mentions:
1: Lord Alton of Liverpool (XB - Life peer) There are daily threats to Taiwan and we have seen extraordinary cruelty and barbarism in Tibet, along - Speech Link


Written Question
Tibet: Buddhism
Thursday 21st March 2024

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make it his policy to support religious self-governance for Tibetan Buddhists.

Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The freedom to practice, change or share one's faith or belief without discrimination is a human right that all people, including Tibetan Buddhists, should enjoy. The UK Government will continue to do all that we can to encourage freedoms of religious and cultural expression in Tibet and across China. For example, we view the appointment of the next Dalai Lama as a matter for the relevant religious authorities to decide in line with those freedoms of religion and belief.

The UK Government consistently raises human rights issues with the Chinese authorities - the Foreign Secretary did so in February with China's Foreign Minister. We also regularly raise Tibet in multilateral fora, for example, in January at China's Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council.


Scottish Parliament Debate - Main Chamber
Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill - Wed 20 Mar 2024

Mentions:
1: Fraser, Murdo (Con - Mid Scotland and Fife) of the Rohingya population; and China’s treatment of the Uyghurs and its atrocities in Kashmir and Tibet - Speech Link


Commons Chamber
Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill [Lords]
Report stage - Tue 19 Mar 2024
Department for Business and Trade

Mentions:
1: Iain Duncan Smith (Con - Chingford and Woodford Green) China is the most egregious offender in this regard, with its actions on religion in Xinjiang and in Tibet - Speech Link


Early Day Motion
Treatment of Tibetan protesters in Dege County, Tibet (15 Signatures)
19 Mar 2024
Tabled by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
That this House strongly condemns the recent brutal crackdown on peaceful Tibetan protesters in Dege County, Tibet; calls for an immediate and irreversible halt to the construction of Kamtok Hydroelectric Dam, as well as the forced relocation of more than 2,000 local Tibetans from their ancestral lands; acknowledges the courage …
Select Committee
Formal Minutes of Joint Committee on Human Rights Session 22 - 23

Formal Minutes Mar. 14 2024

Committee: Human Rights (Joint Committee)

Found: Policing; Qatar; Rwanda & Gt Lakes; Save the Pub; Sri Lanka; Street Children; Swimming; Taiwan; Tamils; Tibet


Written Question
China: Internment
Thursday 7th March 2024

Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the number of internment camps in (1) China, (2) Xinjiang, and (3) Tibet.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government closely monitors the human rights situation in China, where people face widespread restrictions and violations on human rights and fundamental freedoms. With regard to the situation in Xinjiang, in 2018 the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination estimated "upwards of a million people were being held in so-called counter-extremism centres and another two million had been forced into what the Chinese refer to as 're-education camps' for political and cultural indoctrination". Regarding Tibet, UN Special Rapporteurs reported in February 2023 that "around a million" Tibetan children had been separated from their families to assimilate them into majority Han culture. The UK Government continues to lead international efforts to hold China to account, including through the UN and bilaterally. The Foreign Secretary raised human rights concerns in his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on 16 February.


Written Question
China: Foreign Relations
Monday 4th March 2024

Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of the People's Republic of China, including in discussions between the Foreign Secretary and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference, to call for the immediate removal of sanctions against British parliamentarians who have raised concerns regarding human rights issues in China, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government considers China's sanctions to be completely unwarranted and unacceptable. When China imposed the sanctions in 2021, the former Minister for Asia summoned China's representative in the UK to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to lodge a strong, formal protest. We continue to urge the Chinese authorities at the highest levels to rescind the sanctions; the Foreign Secretary has called for their removal at both of his engagements with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi - in person at the Munich Security Conference on 16 February, and during their introductory call in December 2023. The former Foreign Secretary also consistently raised sanctioned Parliamentarians, including during his visit to Beijing in August 2023. The Government will continue to raise this issue in our engagement with China.