Asked by: Shabana Mahmood (Labour - Birmingham, Ladywood)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to make representations to international bodies on the effect of Chinese extradition treaties with other nations on Uighur Muslims who have fled persecution from China.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We have repeatedly called on countries to respect the obligation of not forcing persons to return to a country where there are substantial grounds for believing that the person would be in danger of fundamental rights violations, and will continue to do so. The UK will continue to take a global leadership role in standing up for the rights of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.
Asked by: Shabana Mahmood (Labour - Birmingham, Ladywood)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs,, what steps he is taking to raise concerns on cotton from Xinjiang and other unethically sourced products with the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK has taken a leading international role in holding China to account for its human rights violations in Xinjiang, including in respect of credible evidence of forced labour. The UK led the first international joint statements on this issue at the UN, including at the UN Human Rights Council in June. Most recently, on 6 October, alongside Germany, we brought together a total of 39 countries to express grave concern at the situation in Xinjiang in a joint statement at the UN Third Committee. The statement expressed deep concern at the growing number of reports of forced labour in Xinjiang. In addition, at the UN Human Rights Council in September, we raised the issue of forced labour in our national statement which we devoted entirely to China - the first time we had focused on a single country since Salisbury in 2018.
Asked by: Shabana Mahmood (Labour - Birmingham, Ladywood)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to (a) his counterpart in China, (b) international bodies and (c) individual countries on the detention of (i) Uighur and (ii) other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang in China.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We regularly raise our serious concerns about the extra-judicial detention of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, both directly with the Chinese authorities and at the UN alongside international partners. 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, including the mass detention of Uyghurs in political re-education camps. This growing coalition reflects UK diplomatic leadership, including the personal involvement of the Foreign Secretary in raising the issue with a wide range of partners. On 28 July, the Foreign Secretary raised human rights violations in Xinjiang with his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi.
Asked by: Shabana Mahmood (Labour - Birmingham, Ladywood)
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 (a) effectiveness of the legal action taken through the International Criminal Court against the Government of Myanmar on the Rohingya population and (b) potential merits of similar international action on the detention of Uighur and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang in China.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK is monitoring the Prosecutor's investigations into alleged crimes by the Myanmar military. The UK is clear that the Myanmar military bears responsibility for atrocities against the Rohingya and other minorities. There has been no meaningful accountability for these acts. Accountability is essential to any long-term progress on the crisis.
In respect of the situation in Xinjiang, the UK is focused on building a coalition of likeminded partners and raising concerns at senior levels bilaterally with China to increase pressure on China to change course. Most recently, 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, including the mass detention of Uyghurs in political re-education camps.
Asked by: Shabana Mahmood (Labour - Birmingham, Ladywood)
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 his Chinese counterpart on the detention of Uighur and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, China in the last six months.
Answered by Nigel Adams
As I [Minister Adams] set out during an adjournment debate in the House of Commons on 9 September, we are seriously concerned about the human rights situation in Xinjiang. We regularly raise our serious concerns about the extra-judicial detention of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, both directly with the Chinese authorities and publicly, including at the UN. On 25 September, at the 45th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad raised serious concerns about the human rights situations in Xinjiang, and called for China to release all those who are arbitrarily detained. On 28 July, the Foreign Secretary raised human rights violations in Xinjiang with his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi.