Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to the People’s Republic of China on its obligations under the Sino-British Joint Declaration and Hong Kong.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is clear that China remains in an ongoing state of non-compliance with the Joint Declaration. The Government raises areas of concern with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities on a regular basis at both official and ministerial level; most recently, the minister for the Indo-Pacific did so when she visited Hong Kong on 28-31 October.
In the Six-monthly report on Hong Kong published on 22 October, the Foreign Secretary called for China and Hong Kong to respect the rights and freedoms promised to the people of Hong Kong.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what definition of decolonisation the Government uses in the conduct of its foreign policy.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government does not use a particular definition of decolonisation in the conduct of its foreign policy.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government condemns or supports colonialism.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government believes that colonialism has no place in today's world. The Government recognises the painful aspects of colonialism. We support a modern relationship with countries and territories that recognises the past but looks to the future.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many officials within his Department specialise in China policy, and how many possess professional proficiency in Mandarin Chinese or professional experience of living or working in China.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has many officials specialising in China policy, both within China-focussed teams and across the organisation. This includes the FCDO's Global China Network of officers across the UK and the global network, dedicated to China policy, state threats management, and strategic alignment. The Department also manages a cross-Whitehall cadre of over 800 people with experience of working on China to deepen and broaden expertise and enhance their understanding of current policy. During the five years to September 2026, 58 FCDO staff achieved qualifications in advanced Mandarin at C1 or C2 level (on the Common European Framework Reference scale).
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Egyptian counterpart following the attack on a Coptic Christian place of worship in Tal Al-Quiblya, Minya Governorate, on 8 July 2026; and what representations he has made on the protection of Coptic Christian communities and their places of worship in Upper Egypt.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answers provided by Baroness Chapman to Questions HL16168 (on 27 April), HL199 (on 2nd June) and HL621 (on 17 June).
The Government is aware of the incident in question. The Egyptian Government has stated a firm commitment to protect the rights of Coptic Christians and their freedom of worship, and protections for freedom of religion are mandated in the Egyptian constitution. The UK champions freedom of religion or belief for all and regularly discusses human rights concerns with the Government of Egypt and international counterparts, and will continue to do so, where appropriate. His Majesty's Ambassador to Cairo also frequently engages with faith leaders in Egypt.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the resources allocated to developing and retaining China expertise across the diplomatic service and the wider civil service.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government's China Audit recognised that we cannot deal with China's complexity, unless we improve our capability to understand it. It made a commitment to develop greater depth and breadth of China expertise across departments and ensure we maximise the use of this knowledge. Last year, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's China Capability Programme trained over 1,000 people from Government departments, agencies and public bodies to build knowledge and language skills, working closely with the Great Britain-China Centre and other implementing partners. This continuous development offer supports the retention of China expertise across Government.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his European counterparts on a permanent European naval deployment to the Arabian Gulf in the context of increased Houthi activity since January 2026.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Honourable Member to the response given to Question 34346 on 23 October.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking with his counterparts in the United States, Europe, the Commonwealth and other Indo-Pacific countries to tackle national security threats from China.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Upholding national security and keeping the public safe is the first duty of this government. This underpins not just our relationship with China, but all our international relationships. We have to recognise the complexity of the world as it is and that is why when it comes to China, like our closest allies, our approach is clear: we will cooperate where we can and we will challenge where we must - never compromising on our national security.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his policy is on the military regime in Myanmar; and for what reason representatives of that regime have had recent meetings with Ministers.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's position on Myanmar, and our engagement with the Myanmar authorities has not changed. We continue to urge all parties to protect civilians and call on the Myanmar authorities to end airstrikes against civilians, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and release all those arbitrarily detained, including Aung San Suu Kyi.
As Myanmar is an ASEAN member, its representatives may attend ASEAN meetings and events. UK Ministers attend these forums to engage regional partners and support ASEAN-led efforts to address the crisis, not to confer legitimacy on the Myanmar authorities. Attendance at such events should not be interpreted as acceptance of the military's actions or a normalisation of relations.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether any draft constitutional amendment Order relating to the Turks and Caicos Islands is currently under consideration.
Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip
The British Overseas Territories (OTs) have longstanding and diverse constitutional arrangements, but all reflect a modern UK-OT partnership where constitutional evolution occurs through consultation, negotiation, and agreement between the UK and territory. OT governments should gain support for their proposals through public consultations and cross-party deliberations. UK Ministers will consider OT proposals, mindful that the UK must retain the constitutional powers necessary to discharge our sovereign responsibilities and international obligations. All formal proposals are subject to rigorous assessment, including governance implications and sustainability, by both the UK and the OT.
This approach was reflected in the Turks and Caicos Island's 2024 constitutional reform process. Since then, the TCI Government has sought a further amendment. It would not be appropriate for me to comment further on ongoing discussions.