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China: Uyghurs

Question for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

UIN HL11519, tabled on 16 December 2020

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of China about the mistreatment of Uighurs.

Answered on

24 December 2020

We remain committed to promoting human rights in Xinjiang, and our continued multilateral and bilateral activity demonstrates this. The Foreign Secretary has personally raised our serious concerns with his Chinese counterpart on a number of occasions this year. The UK has also taken a leading international role in holding China to account for its gross human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong. On 6 October, the UK and 38 other countries joined a statement at the UN Third Committee in New York expressing deep concern at the situation in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, including the mass detention of Uyghurs in political re-education camps. This growing international pressure on China reflects UK diplomatic leadership, including the personal involvement of the Foreign Secretary in raising the issue with a wide range of partners.