Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had recent discussions with his international partners on transnational repression.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The UK Government is committed to working with international partners to build our collective resilience to all forms of foreign interference including transnational repression (TNR). The Foreign Secretary attended the G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting in April in Capri. The resulting communiqué included language which condemned the targeting of activists, critics, and journalists through TNR activity. Officials regularly engage with like-minded international partners bilaterally and in multilateral fora, such as the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism, to share knowledge and identify opportunities to collaborate to effectively counter TNR activity. The UK will continue to engage with international partners through bilateral and multilateral channels to address this issue.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department is taking to support the Philippines in their enforcement of territorial waters.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK takes no sides in the sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea but we oppose actions which raise tensions and increase the risk of miscalculation. The UK's commitment is to international law, the primacy of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to freedom of navigation and overflight. The UK has continued to condemn unsafe, escalatory and dangerous actions by Chinese vessels against Philippine vessels in the South China Sea via our Ambassador in Manila, and in an FCDO Spokesperson statement. The UK continues to support regional partners through an enhanced programme of maritime capacity building in Southeast Asia which provides training and funding to strengthen regional capacity on maritime law and security.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent diplomatic steps he has taken to support freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK takes no sides in the sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea but we oppose actions which raise tensions and increase the risk of miscalculation. The UK's commitment is to international law, the primacy of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to freedom of navigation and overflight. The UK has continued to condemn unsafe, escalatory and dangerous actions by Chinese vessels against Philippine vessels in the South China Sea via our Ambassador in Manila, and in an FCDO Spokesperson statement. The UK continues to support regional partners through an enhanced programme of maritime capacity building in Southeast Asia which provides training and funding to strengthen regional capacity on maritime law and security.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether the Minister for Asia raised the trial and detention of Jimmy Lai with (a) Chinese and (b) Hong Kong officials during her recent visit.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Minister for the Indo-Pacific raised Jimmy Lai's case with Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deng Li in Beijing and in Hong Kong with Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Christopher Hui during her visit to China and Hong Kong in April. Further details are available on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-minister-for-indo-pacifics-key-meetings-in-mainland-china-and-hong-kong-sar-april-2024.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the conflict in Myanmar; and whether he plans to take steps to oppose the coup authorities in that country.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns the coup in Myanmar. In February, we announced our eighteenth round of sanctions, targeting the Myanmar Security Force's access to finance, arms and equipment. We consistently use our role as penholder at the United Nations Security Council to maintain pressure on the military, including leading the first ever Security Council Resolution on the Myanmar crisis in December 2022. Since the coup we have provided almost £150 million in life-saving humanitarian assistance, emergency healthcare, education and support to civil society and local communities.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, how many UK-based staff from his Department worked in (a) HM Embassy or the High Commission and (b) Consulates General, Consulates or Deputy High Commissions in (i) China, (ii) South Korea, (iii) Vietnam, (iv) the Philippines, (v) India and (vi) the Asia Pacific region in 2023.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Mar24 UKB Data | |||
Location | A | B | |
(v) | India | 30-39 | 10-19 |
(iv) | Philippines | 10-19 | No UKB Staff |
(ii) | South Korea | 10-19 | No UKB Staff |
(iii) | Vietnam | 10-19 | Fewer than 10 |
(vi) | Asia Pacific Region | 180-199 | Fewer than 10 |
Scope | |
British Embassy | A |
British High Commission | A |
British Consulate | B |
British Consulate General | B |
British Deputy High Commission | B |
Countries in Scope of Asia Pacific Region |
Australia |
Brunei |
Cambodia |
Fiji |
Indonesia |
South Korea |
Laos |
Malaysia |
Myanmar |
New Zealand |
Papua New Guinea |
Philippines |
Samoa |
Singapore |
Solomon Islands |
Thailand |
Tonga |
Vanuatu |
Vietnam |
Staff in scope: UKB | |
Headcount data is presented as at: Mar24 | |
Locations:China (Withheld), India, Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam (Part (i) to (v), see list for (Part (vi). | |
Staff out of scope: Contingent Labour, Unpaid Liabilities, Ministers / NeDs / SpAds etc, third party suppliers, Staff working for other government departments, CB staff. | |
Headcounts are banded for release in line with advice from FCDO Information and Cyber Security Unit. |
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what support his Department offered to Taiwan after the recent earthquake.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Following the earthquake, the Foreign Secretary issued a statement offering condolences to the people of Taiwan and stating that the UK stood ready to support. The UK's International Search and Rescue team made contact with the relevant Taiwanese authorities. No request for assistance was made by Taiwan.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether the (a) Prime Minister and (b) Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs has raised the impact of Article 23 of the Basic Law on Hong Kong's (i) autonomy and (ii) civil liberties with his Chinese counterpart.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary made a second statement on Hong Kong's new national security law (Article 23) on 19 March, in which he made clear our view that it will further damage the rights and freedoms enjoyed in the city. He stated that we expect the Hong Kong authorities to respect the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Basic Law, uphold its high degree of autonomy and act in accordance with its international commitments and legal obligations. We continue to raise our firm objection to the erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong at the highest levels of government. The Prime Minister raised Hong Kong with Premier Li Qiang on 20 September at the G20 and the Foreign Secretary last raised Hong Kong with his counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 16 February at the Munich Security Conference.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions he has had with his Vietnamese counterpart on furthering the bilateral relationship.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I visited Vietnam from 25-27 October 2023 to attend the South China Sea Conference and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) South East Asia Ministerial Forum, and to discuss regional security, investment and economic development. The UK and Vietnam continue to have positive cooperation on long-term strategic priorities such as energy transition and adaptation to climate change, maritime security in line with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, illegal immigration, trade, technology and investment, and on education and research partnerships. Permanent Under-Secretary Sir Philip Barton recently visited Vietnam on 25 March to meet with Vietnamese ministries to discuss further cooperation in these areas.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what (a) diplomatic and (b) cultural steps his Department plans to take with the Secretary of State for Defence to support the planned Carrier Strike Group deployment to the Asia Pacific in 2025.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Carrier Strike Group deployment in 2025 will reinforce the UK's commitment to upholding international security, including in the Indo-Pacific, and will strengthen our broad-based partnerships across the region. The FCDO will be closely involved in planning for the deployment, as it develops, as part of an established Cross Government process.