Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Wealden)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what measures are in place to ensure that her Department adheres to sanctions placed on the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) by the Government under the Global Human Rights Regulations.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
Under the Global Human Rights Regulations, British businesses must comply with sanctions against the individuals and entities appearing on a regularly updated GOV.UK list. Businesses continue to be notified about sanctions and designated persons too.
On 22nd March, HM Government took the significant step of imposing asset freezes and travel bans against four senior Chinese officials as well as the Public Security Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps responsible for the serious violations of rights and responsibilities that take place in Xinjiang.
The United Kingdom will continue to work alongside its international partners to send the clearest possible signal of the international community’s serious concern and our collective willingness to act on this issue.
Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Wealden)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 26 May 2021 to Question 5209 on Trade Agreements, if the Government will make it its policy to refuse to negotiate trade agreements with any country that has sanctioned hon. Members of the UK Parliament.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave her to the same question on 26th May 2021 (UIN: 5209).
Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Wealden)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if the Government will make it its policy to refuse to negotiate trade deals with any country that has sanctioned hon. Members of the UK Parliament.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
Trade underpins stable, open and prosperous global economies, promoting property rights and the rule of law.
We have no plans to negotiate a trade deal with China but, through our ambitious programme of trade negotiations, we will build relationships with other trading partners to break down barriers to trade, supporting growth in every corner of our country as we become a truly Global Britain.
The United Kingdom has long promoted her values globally. We are clear that more trade does not have to come at the expense of our values.
Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Wealden)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will publish the outcomes of the comprehensive programme of engagement with business and UK trade bodies set out as part of the Overseas Business Risk guidance.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
HMG’s Overseas Business Risk guidance provides geopolitical and economic analysis on over 100 overseas markets to new and expanding exporters. The guidance, which is available on GOV.UK, also provides information on potential risks including human rights issues, bribery and corruption, terrorism, criminal activity and intellectual property. Section 6.1 of the guidance for China was updated on 12 January 2021 following a change in the government’s policy on Xinjiang.
HMG is keen to encourage businesses to share their perspectives on how they are responding to the situation in Xinjiang. Following the update to the guidance, HMG’s Ministers engaged with UK businesses to make clear that they should act without delay to ensure they are not complicit in any way in these gross violations of human rights.
Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Wealden)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which (a) organisations, (b) Government Departments, (c) NGOs and (d) others attended the roundtables on forced labour in Xinjiang in March 2021; what the job titles were of those representing organisations; and how many of those attendee organisations have (i) published a Modern Slavery statement and (ii) removed their supply chains from Xinjiang.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
On 10th and 11th March, the Secretary of State for International Trade hosted two roundtables on the issue of forced labour in Xinjiang. 22 organisations attended, including representatives from the technology and retail sectors, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and business organisations.
Under section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, commercial organisations with a turnover of £36m or more, that a have a footprint in the United Kingdom, are required to publish a modern slavery statement. Organisations are responsible for determining whether the legislation applies to them and those in scope of the Act are required to publish statements for each financial year online.
HM Government is keen to encourage businesses to share their perspectives on how they are responding to the situation in Xinjiang, and we continue to make clear that they should act without delay to make sure they are not complicit in any way in the violation of rights and responsibilities.