Written questions, answers and statements

China: Religious Freedom

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Question for Foreign and Commonwealth Office

UIN 11926, tabled on 14 October 2015

Question

Stephen Timms
Labour
East Ham
Commons

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to express concern about persecution of religious groups in China with President Xi Jinping during his visit to the UK.

Answer

Mr Hugo Swire
Conservative
East Devon
Commons

Answered on

19 October 2015

We raise the range of our human rights concerns directly with China. We do so during the annual UK-China Human Rights Dialogue. We also highlight them publicly in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy (www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk).

Ministers regularly engage China on human rights. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) did so during the UK-China Strategic Dialogue in Beijing in August, as did the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr George Osborne) during his visit in September. Discussions during the State Visit will be broad, covering areas both where we agree and disagree.

Answered by

Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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