Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the Chinese government's treatment of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang; and what diplomatic steps he has taken in response.

The UK Government has led international efforts to hold China to account for its human rights violations in Xinjiang. We were the first country to lead a joint statement on China's human rights record in Xinjiang at the UN, and our leadership has sustained pressure on China to change its behaviour. In October 2023, the UK led another joint statement with a record number of 50 signatories on Xinjiang at the UN, demonstrating a significant number of countries are prepared to call China out for its human rights violations. We have also imposed sanctions, provided guidance to businesses, and taken action to tackle forced labour in supply chains. Bilaterally, we consistently raise human rights issues at senior levels with the Chinese authorities; the Foreign Secretary did so in his introductory call with China's Foreign Minister on 5 December.