Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential risk to civilians of a closure of Hudaydah port.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Yemen is almost entirely reliant on imports for food, importing approximately 90 per cent of food staples such as wheat. Hodeidah Port is key to food security in Yemen, as it receives 40 to 50 per cent of the country's food imports, as well as essential food aid.
The disruption to shipping in the Red Sea caused by Houthi attacks, risks driving up costs of supplies of food and humanitarian aid in the region, including to Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Lebanon.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the Answer of 27 November 2023 to Question 3279, how many government-funded foreign infrastructure projects included delivery partners that were (a) state owned enterprises and (b) companies registered in the People's Republic of China in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has funded a large number of foreign infrastructure projects, including through the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) and British International Investment (BII). PIDG and BII both operate with high standards of due diligence and a low tolerance for operational and compliance risk, including compliance breaches from downstream partners. The lifecycle of individual PIDG and BII projects often span multiple years, and involve close working relationships with a large number of delivery partners globally, meaning that risks can be spotted, communicated, and acted upon in a timely manner. The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the Answer of 21 November 2023 to Question 1621 on Sri Lanka: Ports, how much UK funding was allocated for infrastructure projects that received funding under the Belt and Road Initiative in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There is no formal definition of what is or what is not a Belt and Road Initiative project. China is an important source of trade and investment for many countries, but we recognise that this also presents risks. China cannot be ignored, but we must be clear eyed. In HMG's engagement, we will always work to protect ourselves, our democracy and our economy. HMG's policy on China is set out in the Integrated Review Refresh.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Colombo Port City project on geopolitical stability; and what steps he is taking to help mitigate that impact.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Sri Lankan Government and Chinese Governments jointly launched the Port City Colombo development project in 2014. China is an important source of trade, investment and support for many countries with infrastructure, including under a Belt and Road Initiative badge, helping fill the global infrastructure gap alongside other infrastructure initiatives. However, we recognise the potential risks that Chinese overseas investment can present, which is why we must be clear eyed. In our engagement, it is vital that we protect ourselves, our democracy and our economy at home. HMG's policy on China is set out in the Integrated Review Refresh.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the potential use of the Colombo Port City project in Sri Lanka as a Chinese military outpost.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Sri Lankan Government and Chinese Governments jointly launched the Port City Colombo development project in 2014. China is an important source of trade, investment and support for many countries with infrastructure, including under a Belt and Road Initiative badge, helping fill the global infrastructure gap alongside other infrastructure initiatives. However, we recognise the potential risks that Chinese overseas investment can present, which is why we must be clear eyed. In our engagement, it is vital that we protect ourselves, our democracy and our economy at home. HMG's policy on China is set out in the Integrated Review Refresh.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Chinese counterpart on the Colombo Port City project.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Sri Lankan Government and Chinese Governments jointly launched the Port City Colombo development project in 2014. China is an important source of trade, investment and support for many countries with infrastructure, including under a Belt and Road Initiative badge, helping fill the global infrastructure gap alongside other infrastructure initiatives. However, we recognise the potential risks that Chinese overseas investment can present, which is why we must be clear eyed. In our engagement, it is vital that we protect ourselves, our democracy and our economy at home. HMG's policy on China is set out in the Integrated Review Refresh.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his international counterparts on the implications for their policies of the Belt and Road initiative.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
China is an important source of investment for many developing countries. Chinese investment, including under its Belt and Road Initiative, can help fill the global infrastructure gap. However, we recognise the potential risks that Chinese overseas investment can present, including on debt sustainability and linkages to increasing China's economic and political influence. We will work with others to encourage China to make contributions to economic development that are transparent and push back against Chinese attempts to coerce or create dependencies when needed. Through British Investment Partnerships, we help build transparent economic partnerships, enabling high quality investment into developing countries and helping to bridge investment and infrastructure gaps.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his Department's strategy is on engaging with countries involved in the Belt and Road initiative.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
China is an important source of investment for many developing countries. Chinese investment, including under its Belt and Road Initiative, can help fill the global infrastructure gap. However, we recognise the potential risks that Chinese overseas investment can present, including on debt sustainability and linkages to increasing China's economic and political influence. We will work with others to encourage China to make contributions to economic development that are transparent and push back against Chinese attempts to coerce or create dependencies when needed. Through British Investment Partnerships, we help build transparent economic partnerships, enabling high quality investment into developing countries and helping to bridge investment and infrastructure gaps.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament report entitled China, published on 13 July 2023, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies on appointments in international investment initiatives of the findings of that report.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government recognises China as an epoch-defining and systemic challenge, and has taken robust action to build our domestic resilience and safeguard our national security. HMG is grateful for the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament's China Report and has put in place a range of measures to protect our infrastructure and supply chains, including the National Security and Investment Act. In addition, the National Security Act brings together vital new measures to protect our national security.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to support the development of Ukraine's tourism industry following its recovery; and what steps he plans to take with Cabinet colleagues to encourage tourists from the UK to visit Ukraine.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The FCDO continues to advise against all travel to Ukraine while Russia's illegal invasion continues. The UK is committed to helping Ukraine secure support for its recovery and reconstruction needs. The Ukraine Recovery Conference (21-22 June) raised over $60 billion in new support, including a further $3 billion in UK guarantees to World Bank lending and up to £240 million of UK bilateral assistance. We are focused on supporting the Government of Ukraine's immediate recovery priorities including health, energy and critical infrastructure, which have suffered damage in Russia's indiscriminate airstrikes. The UK-Ukraine Strategic Partnership Agreement sets parameters for longer-term co-operation on tourism.