Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks made by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 7 December 2020 (HL Deb, col 1085), what plans they have to enter free trade negotiations with the government of China in the future; and what human rights due diligence they will employ during any such negotiations to ensure that the UK does not support the exploitation of Uighur Muslims in China.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
HM Government has no plans at present to negotiate a free trade agreement with China.
The United Kingdom has long supported the promotion of our values globally and has consistently voiced concern at the situation in Xinjiang. On 12th January, the Foreign Secretary announced a series of measures to help ensure that no British businesses will profit from or contribute to violations against the Uyghurs or other minorities. These measures send a clear message to China that there are economic and reputation costs for what it is doing in Xinjiang.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce export licensing controls for equipment used for the removal, freezing, or transportation, of organs to countries where there have been credible reports of forced organ harvesting.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
My Rt Hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary’s statement of 12 January 2021 on the situation in Xinjiang committed HM Government to a review of export controls as they apply specifically geographically to the situation in Xinjiang, to make sure that we are doing everything that we can to prevent the export of any goods that could directly or indirectly contribute to human rights violations in that region.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to undertake trade with a state if a court has predetermined that a genocide is underway; and what assessment they have made of the impact on the UK’s ability to undertake international trade of amendments to the Trade Bill relating to trade agreements with states accused of committing genocide.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The United Kingdom have long promoted our values globally. We are clear that more trade does not have to come at the expense of our values.
Our experience is that political freedom and the rule of law are vital underpinnings for both prosperity and stability and that, by having strong economic relationships with partners, we are able to have open discussions on a range of issues. Despite our varying approach to agreements with partners, we will always have open discussions on a range of issues, including rights and responsibilities.
Clause 2 of the Trade Bill allows HM Government to implement those trade agreements the EU including the United Kingdom had with third countries, prior to the United Kingdom leaving the EU. The list of countries in scope can be found at: gov.uk/guidance/uk-trade-agreements-with-non-eu-countries
The Trade Bill has no provisions to implement a free trade agreement with those countries, such as China, who did not have a free trade agreement with the EU prior to 31st January 2020.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the government of the United States’ decision to introduce restrictions on (1) Changji Esquel Textile Co. Ltd, (2) Hefei Bitland Information Technology Co. Ltd, (3) Hefei Meiling Co. Ltd, (4) Hetian Haolin Hair Accessories Co. Ltd, (5) Hetian Taida Apparel Co. Ltd, (6) KTK Group, Nanjing Synergy Textiles Co. Ltd, and (7) Nanchang O-Film Tech, Tanyuan Technology Co. Ltd; whether they have imposed similar restrictions; and if not, why not.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
HM Government has repeatedly condemned the egregious violations being perpetrated against Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang. Most recently, on 6th October, we issued a joint statement with 38 other countries at the UN General Assembly Third Committee.
The United States’ Export Administration Regulations contain a list of foreign entities, including businesses, that are subject to specific license requirements (the ‘Entity List’). A license must be obtained before exporting, re-exporting or transferring (in-country) an item to a listed entity. The United Kingdom has no equivalent of the US Entity List.
However, large businesses operating in the United Kingdom are required, under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, to report on how they are tackling forced labour in their operations and supply chains.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to consult the Joint Committee on Human Rights when assessing prospective trade deals.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
We have provided extensive information to Parliament on our negotiations, including publishing our objectives and economic scoping assessments prior to negotiations beginning. We continue to engage closely with the relevant scrutiny committees, namely the International Trade Committee in the House of Commons and the International Agreements Sub-Committee in the House of Lords.
We have a strong history of safeguarding rights and promoting our values. While our approach to agreements will vary between partners, it will always allow HM Government to have open discussions on these issues.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in developing a cross-departmental human rights threshold for inclusion in any (1) current and forthcoming trade and telecommunications agreements, and (2) other legislation.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
HM Government has a strong history of promoting our values globally. While our approach to agreements will vary between partners, our strong economic relationships allow us to have open discussions on a range of difficult issues, including rights and responsibilities.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take through the implementation of Project Defend to reduce the UK’s reliance on imports from authoritarian states and to increase national resilience.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
Project DEFEND is working to help Britain become more resilient and ensure that more diverse supply chains are put in place to allow the continued flow of essential items and avoid shortages in future.
We are analysing critical supply chains and identifying countries with a high level of supply chain influence, in order that we can help strengthen Britain’s supply chain resilience. Our approach continues to underline our international leadership in promoting free trade, and our belief in the benefits that free trade brings.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Henry Jackson Society?Breaking the China Supply Chain: How the ‘Five Eyes’ Can Decouple From Strategic Dependency, published on 14 May, which states that the UK is strategically dependent on China for 229 categories of goods, 57 of which are used in critical national infrastructure
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
HM Government is protecting our national security while ensuring the United Kingdom remains a global champion of free trade and an attractive destination for international investment.
My Department is working with other departments and our counterparts overseas to ensure the continued flow of critical equipment and supplies through this pandemic, as well as supporting trading businesses as the economy recovers. This includes diversifying the import and export markets for British businesses, which will allow them to build resilience into their supply chains.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the impact of the proposed withdrawal of EU Everything But Arms trade privileges on (1) Burma, (2) the Burmese military, and (3) civilian workers in Burma.
Answered by Baroness Fairhead
We are working with Member States and are in discussions with the Commission on this issue. The assessment must ensure that a thorough consideration of the impacts is made before any decision is taken.
Since 2012, when the EU granted Burma duty-free, quota-free market access on “Everything But Arms”, EU imports from Burma rose by almost ten times to €1,558 million in 2017. Most of the EU’s imports are of textiles and apparels, which have created substantial employment opportunities for women in Burma, and which would be subject to tariffs if the EU withdraws ‘Everything But Arms’ preferences.
Any decision to suspend preferences would need to be thoroughly assessed, bearing in mind the impact it could have on Burma’s poor.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether trade deals in which the UK is partner are conditional on other signatories ensuring the rights of minorities in their countries; and if not, why not.
Answered by Baroness Fairhead
The UK has long supported the promotion of our values globally.
The EU has included provisions protecting human rights within their trade and political agreements with partner countries. EU Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with developed countries since the EU-South Korea FTA have also included references to the International Labour Organization (ILO) fundamental conventions which provide for the elimination of discrimination at work.
Additionally, the EU’s GSP+ scheme provides enhanced tariff preferences to economically vulnerable developing countries which are effectively implementing 27 international conventions, including on racial and gender discrimination.