To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy of the Human Rights Watch report, One passport, two systems, China's restrictions on foreign travel by Tibetans and others; and when he last raised the subject of the treatment of China's religious minorities with the Chinese government.
Answered on
21 July 2015
We pay close attention to the human rights situation in China and consult a wide range of reports, including from non-government organisations (NGO's), when considering UK policies. We are concerned by the issues raised in ‘One Passport, Two Systems’ - that ethnic minority populations are experiencing restrictions to their freedom of movement and that the inability to travel abroad for religious festivals is impacting on their right to freedom of religion or belief.
We consider freedom of religion or belief to be a fundamental human right and support its protection and promotion around the world, including in China. We also have concerns about the treatment of ethnic minorities in China, particularly in the Tibetan Autonomous Region and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. We have raised our concerns in detail with the Chinese authorities, including during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in April, and have highlighted the full range of our concerns in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy (www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk). We will continue to raise these concerns as part of our wider relationship with China.