To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for bilaterial relations of the report of the people's tribunal into forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience in China.
Answered on
3 July 2019
We have noted the recent report by the pressure group “The International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China”. Officials attended public hearings organised by the group, and its report is one of a number of sources of information that we are taking into account when considering this issue. We have also recently consulted the World Health Organization (WHO) in both Geneva and Beijing. Their view is that China is implementing an ethical, voluntary organ transplant system in accordance with international standards, though they do have concerns about overall transparency.
At present, our assessment remains that there is not a strong enough evidential base to substantiate the claim that systematic state-sponsored or sanctioned organ harvesting is taking place in China. There is, however, credible evidence that practitioners of Falun Gong are subjected to serious mistreatment. Our relationship with China is robust enough for us to raise concerns when we need to, including on the extensive use of the death penalty and the treatment of religious and ethnic minorities in China. We continue to keep this issue under review.