Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL1774):
Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask His Majesty’s Government whether the Foreign Secretary intends to visit China; and if so, (1) what assessment they have made of the achievements of the previous visit by a Foreign Secretary in August 2023, and (2) whether he will raise (a) the government of China’s treatment of the Uyghurs, (b) the erosion of democracy and imprisonment of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, (c) the sanctioning of UK parliamentarians by the government of Hong Kong, and (d) the government of China’s threats against Taiwan. (HL1774)
Tabled on: 22 January 2024
Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:
We consistently raise China’s human rights violations, sanctions against UK parliamentarians and our objection to the erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong with the Chinese authorities; most recently the Foreign Secretary did so with Wang Yi during their call on 5 December. On 17 December, the Foreign Secretary also called for the repeal of the National Security Law and an end to the prosecution of all individuals under it. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. For future Ministerial visits – human rights remain a key component of our advocacy.
Date and time of answer: 07 Feb 2024 at 17:49.
