Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the prevalence of human right abuses in China; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of such instances on civilians.
Answered by Catherine West
People across China face widespread restrictions and violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms. China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and Tibetans, restrict civil society and independent media, and target human rights defenders and lawyers. We provided this assessment at the UN General Assembly last October, and the Human Rights Council in September. In addition, we joined a statement led by Australia on Xinjiang and Tibet at the UN General Assembly and a statement led by the USA on Xinjiang at the Human Rights Council, both of which provided further assessments of the human rights situations in the respective geographies.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken since 4 July to monitor the actions that the government of China has taken against Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
This Government stands firm on human rights, including in Xinjiang, where China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities.
We continue to monitor the situation closely. For example, the Government conducts independent visits to areas of major concern wherever possible, and supports NGOs in exposing and reacting to human rights violations.
We continue to coordinate efforts with our international partners to hold China to account, for example, joining a statement led by Australia on Xinjiang at the UN General Assembly on 22 October.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on forced labour involving Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang; and what steps he is taking to help prevent goods produced by forced labour entering the UK market.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
The UK will stand firm on human rights, including China's repression of the peoples of Xinjiang. This has included raising concerns at the highest levels of the Chinese government. The Prime Minister raised human rights with President Xi at their meeting in the G20 Summit in November.
No company in the UK should have forced labour in its supply chain. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires businesses with a turnover of £36 million or more to report annually on steps taken to combat modern slavery. The Government continues to review how we can best tackle forced labour in supply chains.
Asked by: Blair McDougall (Labour - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart on the role of that country’s Islamic Council in the persecution of Uyghur Muslims.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains deeply concerned by the discrimination faced by marginalised religious communities around the world. In Pakistan, we work to promote the rights of religious minorities through diplomatic engagement and programme funding. I raised the issue of religious tolerance when I met with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister when I visited this year. The UK also stands firm on human rights in China, including in Xinjiang, where China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities. We raise our concerns with China at the highest levels - the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary both raised human rights recently with their Chinese counterparts.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security's oral contribution of 3 December 2024, Official Report, column 174, whether his Department has conducted any independent visits to Xinjiang to investigate human rights abuses since 5 July.
Answered by Catherine West
This Government stands firm on human rights, including in Xinjiang, where China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities.
We continue to monitor the situation closely, including by conducting independent visits to areas of major concern wherever possible, and supporting reputable NGOs in exposing and reacting to human rights violations.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication on 10 November of the story of the Uyghur refugee Hasan Imam in The New York Times, what assessment they have made of the risk that Uyghurs in the UK may be subjected to transnational repression by the government of China.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Security is the first duty of this Government.
This Government is completely committed to responding to foreign interference, including those actions which amount to transnational repression. Home Office officials work closely with operational partners, the FCDO and other departments to review the threat picture and determine how best to respond.
We continually assess potential threats in the UK, and take protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK very seriously. Any attempt by any foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals in the UK will not be tolerated and will be thoroughly investigated.
Anyone who thinks they might be a victim should report incidents or suspicious activity to the Police.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have offered to receive any Uyghur refugees held in detention centres in other countries or facing repatriation to China.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The United Kingdom will always take seriously our responsibility, alongside others, to help those fleeing war and persecution. Under the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), the UK relies upon referrals from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
UNHCR has the global mandate to provide international protection and humanitarian assistance to refugees. UNHCR refer individuals for resettlement in accordance with their standard resettlement submission criteria, which are based on an assessment of protection needs and vulnerabilities. The UK does not seek to influence the cases that the UNHCR refers.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government to what extent they take account of the resolution of the House of Commons of 22 April 2021 declaring Uyghur Muslims to be subjected to a genocide in Xinjiang when determining their policy with regard to refugee status.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
All asylum and human rights claims are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. Each individual assessment is made against the background of any relevant caselaw and the latest available country information. Our position on the Uyghurs in China is set out in the relevant country policy and information note on the gov.uk website.
When someone establishes a well-founded fear of persecution or serious harm in their country, they are normally granted protection and are not expected to return there.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement by the Assistant United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees that deportations of Uyghurs to China are “a flagrant violation of international law”, as reported by The New York Times on 10 November; whether they have raised this issue at the UN Human Rights Council or the UN General Assembly; and if not, why not.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
This Government stands firm on human rights, including over Xinjiang, where China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities. We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary both raised human rights recently with their Chinese counterparts President Xi and Foreign Minister Wang. We continue to coordinate efforts with our international partners to hold China to account: we joined a statement led by Australia at the UN General Assembly last month, and joined a statement led by the USA at the Human Rights Council in September. Both statements noted evidence of torture in Xinjiang, among other human rights violations. The UK is committed to upholding the principle of non-refoulement and has repeatedly called on other countries to respect their obligations under international human rights law, including under the Convention Against Torture.
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 China about reports by human rights groups that repatriated or abducted Uyghur refugees are likely to be tortured or executed by that government.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
This Government stands firm on human rights, including over Xinjiang, where China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities. We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary both raised human rights recently with their Chinese counterparts President Xi and Foreign Minister Wang. We continue to coordinate efforts with our international partners to hold China to account: we joined a statement led by Australia at the UN General Assembly last month, and joined a statement led by the USA at the Human Rights Council in September. Both statements noted evidence of torture in Xinjiang, among other human rights violations. The UK is committed to upholding the principle of non-refoulement and has repeatedly called on other countries to respect their obligations under international human rights law, including under the Convention Against Torture.