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Written Question
China: Detainees
Monday 31st October 2022

Asked by: Lord Bishop of Guildford (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of China regarding recent reports that at least 10 leaders from unregistered Protestant churches were arrested and charged with fraud over normal church financial activities in 2021, including Zhang Chunlei, Yang Xiaoguang, and Hao Ming.

Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park

We are monitoring recent reports of the detention of a number of church leaders in China, which highlight the severe restrictions on freedom of religion or belief in China. We regularly raise the human rights situation in China directly with the Chinese authorities at the highest levels. Most recently, the Foreign Secretary did so in a meeting with his Chinese counterpart on 20 September.


Written Question
China: Detainees
Monday 13th December 2021

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

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of China regarding reports that 1,100 North Korean escapees are currently detained in China; when they last made representations to the government of China regarding its obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention; and what response they have received to any such representations.

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

We are aware of disturbing reports of North Korean escapees detained in China. The UK actively promotes the implementation of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention which asserts that a refugee should not be returned to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom.  We continue to emphasise directly to China that the authorities should not be detaining North Korean refugees with the intention of returning them to North Korea and to abide by the principle of non-refoulement.


Written Question
China: Detainees
Tuesday 7th December 2021

Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the number of people who hold British passports that are being detained in China under the National Security Law.

Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Consular Transparency Data for 2020 can be found on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-commonwealth-development-office-consular-data-2021). This includes the number of new arrest or detention cases that have been opened by consular staff relating to British nationals in China.


Written Question
China: Detainees
Thursday 22nd July 2021

Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of claims by UN experts on 14 June 2021 that they had obtained credible information that (a) detainees from minority communities in China may be being subjected to forced organ harvesting and (b) that specific ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities in detention appear to be targeted.

Answered by Nigel Adams

We have taken note of the statement published by UN experts on 14 June expressing concern about alleged organ harvesting targeting minorities, including Falun Gong practitioners, Uyghurs, Tibetans, Muslims and Christians, in detention in China. We remain deeply concerned about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and others on the grounds of their religion or belief in China. The freedom to practice, change or share one's faith or belief without discrimination or violent opposition is a human right that all people should enjoy. We continue to monitor the issue of alleged organ harvesting closely and consider carefully all evidence presented to us. We regularly raise our concerns about human rights with the Chinese authorities, and will continue to do so.


Written Question
China: Detainees
Thursday 20th May 2021

Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to make an assessment of the role of Chinese companies operating in the UK in the construction of detention camps in China.

Answered by Nigel Adams

The FCDO has funded research to help build the evidence base on the human rights situation in Xinjiang, and continues to review new open source evidence as it emerges and to work closely with international partners to inform policy development. The Foreign Secretary announced on 12 January a package of measures to help ensure that no UK organisations are complicit in human rights violations occurring in Xinjiang through their supply chains. This includes clear and detailed advice to UK businesses on the risks and the need to conduct due diligence on suppliers that may be directly involved or otherwise complicit in the violations; and additional support to UK government bodies to exclude suppliers on related grounds.


Written Question
China: Detainees
Thursday 29th April 2021

Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to make an assessment of the role of Chinese companies operating in the UK in the construction of detention camps in China.

Answered by Nigel Adams

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.


Written Question
China: Detainees
Tuesday 23rd February 2021

Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have on (1) the number of concentration camps run by the government of China in Xinjiang, and (2) how many people are held in any such camps.

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

We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang including the extra-judicial detention of Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in "political re-education camps". Credible open source reporting indicates that up to 380 suspected detention facilities in Xinjiang have been newly built or expanded since 2017, and that over one million Uyghurs and other minorities have been detained in the camps over a similar period. The data currently available does not allow us to ascertain the number of people detained at any one time.


Written Question
China: Uighurs
Monday 8th February 2021

Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to verify reports that Uighur camp detainees in China have been systematically raped, sexually abused and tortured; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Nigel Adams

As I said in the House of Commons on 4 February, the BBC report of 3 February includes deeply distressing testimony of the rape, torture and dehumanisation of Uyghur women in Xinjiang detention centres. The testimonies in the report offer a further, compelling addition to the growing body of evidence of the gross human rights violations being perpetrated against Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in Xinjiang. The government is committed to continuing to work with our international partners, including with the new US Administration, and through our G7 Presidency, to hold China to account for its actions in Xinjiang.


Written Question
China: Uighurs
Monday 21st December 2020

Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to engage with the Chinese Government to end the use of re-education camps in Xinjiang, in the context of protect detainees from covid-19.

Answered by Nigel Adams

The risk of the spread of Covid-19 in places of detention is a matter of concern in a number of countries around the world. With regards to Xinjiang, we remain deeply concerned by the arbitrary detention of over a million Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang in "political re-education camps", including advocates of Uyghurs' rights, culture, language and religion. We continue to urge China to implement UN recommendations - to end the practice of extra-judicial detention of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities, and to allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and other UN experts unfettered access to the region.


Written Question
China: Uighurs
Friday 18th December 2020

Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the news release entitled China: Big Data Program Targets Xinjiang’s Muslims published on 9 December 2020, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on human rights abuses in China of the reported use by Chinese authorities of information in the (a) Aksu and (b) Karakax lists of Uighur detainees.

Answered by Nigel Adams

We are aware of recent reports on the use of data by the Chinese authorities to target Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang. These reports add to the growing body of evidence of gross human rights violations perpetrated against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in the region. We have repeatedly condemned these abuses and call on China to end arbitrary detention, in line with its international obligations.