Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of the detention of Uighurs in (1) Egypt, (2) the UAE, and (3) Saudi Arabia; and their forced deportation to China at the request of the government of China since 2017.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK continues to take a global leadership role in standing up for the rights of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang. We have repeatedly called on countries to respect their obligations not to force persons to return to a country where there are substantial grounds for believing they would be in danger of fundamental rights violations.
We also encourage all states, including the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, to uphold international human rights obligations. Most recently, the Foreign Secretary discussed the situation in Xinjiang with the Saudi Foreign Minister on 19 May.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he (a) has had and (b) plans to have with relevant stakeholders to establish a new process at the UN Human Rights Council to enable an independent international mechanism to investigate crimes under international law and other human rights violations against the Uyghur people in Xinjiang Province in China.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK government has consistently led international efforts to hold China to account for its human rights violations in Xinjiang. We led the first two statements on Xinjiang at the UN and have utilised our diplomatic network to raise the issue up the international agenda. We have been successful in building the international caucus of countries calling out China, with 39 countries supporting a statement at the UN third committee last October.
The Foreign Secretary has also repeatedly urged China to grant urgent and unfettered access to Xinjiang for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights or another independent fact-finding expert. He most recently raised this matter directly with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on 27 May, and in an address to the Human Rights Council on 22 February. We will continue to work closely with our partners and take every opportunity to hold China to account for its violations in Xinjiang in the UN's human rights bodies.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to help tackle human rights abuses against the Uyghur Muslim population in China.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We have serious concerns about the gross violation of human rights occurring in Xinjiang, including the extra-judicial detention of over a million Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in 'political re-education camps'; systematic restrictions on Uyghur culture and the practice of Islam; and extensive and invasive surveillance targeting minorities.
The UK Government has led international efforts to hold China to account. We led the first two statements on Xinjiang at the UN and have utilised our diplomatic network to raise the issue up the international agenda. In January, we announced a package of measures to help ensure no UK organisation is complicit in human rights violations in China, and in March we imposed asset freezes and travel bans against four senior Chinese government officials and one entity, alongside the EU, US and Canada. The Foreign Secretary has raised the UK's serious concerns directly with Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi on a number of occasions, most recently on 27 May, and has repeatedly called for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, or another UN expert to be allowed unfettered access to Xinjiang.
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, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of reports that patents were filed in July 2018 for technology that could identify people by their ethnicity by (a) Huawei and the (b) Chinese Academy of Sciences which specifically seeks to identify members of China's Uyghur population; and what recent discussions he has had with (i) Cabinet colleagues, (ii) representatives of Huawei and (iii) other relevant stakeholders on the potential role of that technology in the persecution of the Uyghur population in China.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK is committed to promoting the ethical development and deployment of technology in the UK and overseas. We are aware of a number of Chinese technology companies linked to violations taking place in Xinjiang, and are monitoring the situation closely.
On 12 January, the Foreign Secretary announced a series of measures to help ensure UK businesses and the public sector are not complicit in human rights violations or abuses in Xinjiang. These measures include a review of export controls; the introduction of financial penalties under the Modern Slavery Act; increasing support for UK government bodies to exclude suppliers complicit in violations or abuses; and strengthening the Overseas Business Risk guidance to highlight that businesses engaged in the fields of surveillance, biometrics, or tracking technology are at heightened risk of complicity in human rights violations in Xinjiang.
The UK Government has embarked on a comprehensive programme of engagement with businesses and UK trade bodies to discuss these issues. This has included a number of high level, Minister led sessions with businesses and trade bodies on the issue of Xinjiang since February 2021. The Government has also published guidance to help cutting-edge UK firms negotiate the ethical, legal and commercial questions they may encounter when working with Chinese businesses, supporting safe and appropriate UK-China collaboration in digital and tech. The guidance provides firms with clear, up-to-date information and specialist support which reflect the UK's values and take account of national security concerns.
There are regular discussions across Government on these issues, including through a cross-Government working group established in August 2020 to coordinate action related to the human rights situation in Xinjiang.
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 with the Home Secretary to ensure that Uyghurs who have been persecuted in China are able to find refuge in the UK.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Home Office publishes guidance used by UK Visas and Immigration to make decisions in asylum and human rights applications. Our assessment of the situation for Uyghurs is set out in our Country Policy and Information Note (CPIN) on opposition to the state in China, available on gov.uk at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/china-country-policy-and-information-notes
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the right to freedom of religion or belief in China, in particular the freedom of Uighurs Muslims.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. The Minister will write directly to the Member with a response shortly.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 with the Home Secretary to ensure that Uyghurs who have been persecuted in China are able to find refuge in the UK.
Answered by Nigel Adams
It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the UN and the international community on the treatment of Uighur women by the Chinese Government.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We are deeply concerned by distressing testimony of the treatment of Uyghur women in Xinjiang detention centres. In February, the Foreign Secretary used a personal address at the UN Human Rights Council to draw attention to the plight of Uyghur women and call for China to allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, or another independent expert, urgent and unfettered access to Xinjiang so that they are able to assess the situation first hand.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps he has taken on ending the maltreatment of Uyghur Muslims in China.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK Government remains gravely concerned about the human rights situation in Xinjiang. We have led international efforts to hold China to account for its human rights violations, leading the first two statements on Xinjiang at the UN and utilising our diplomatic network to raise the issue up the international agenda. In February, the Foreign Secretary used a personal address at the UN Human Rights Council to call for China to allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, or another independent expert, urgent and unfettered access to Xinjiang.
The UK is also committed to taking robust domestic action. On 22 March, the Foreign Secretary announced that the UK has imposed, under the UK's Global Human Rights sanctions regime, asset freezes and travel bans against four senior Chinese Government officials, as well the Public Security Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the organisation responsible for enforcing the repressive security policies across many areas of Xinjiang.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what additional steps the (a) Government and (b) UN are planning to take in response to the human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Province of China against the Uyghur Muslims.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Government remains gravely concerned by the human rights situation in Xinjiang and is committed to continued robust action to hold China to account for its human rights violations in the region. In February, the Foreign Secretary used a personal address at the UN Human Rights Council to reiterate his call for China to allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, or another independent expert, urgent and unfettered access to Xinjiang. On 22 March, the Foreign Secretary announced that the UK had imposed, under the UK's Global Human Rights sanctions regime, asset freezes and travel bans against four senior Chinese government officials responsible for the violations that have taken place and persist against the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. Alongside those individuals, the UK also designated the Public Security Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the organisation responsible for enforcing the repressive security policies across many areas of Xinjiang.