China: Diplomatic Service and Embassies

(asked on 8th March 2021) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what requests for access have been made by British Embassy and Consular officials in China to (a) Tibet and (b) Tibetans held in confinement; which of those requests for access were permitted; and if he will make a statement.


Answered by
Nigel Adams Portrait
Nigel Adams
This question was answered on 11th March 2021

British diplomats last visited the Tibet Autonomous Region in July 2019, following a request for access by our Embassy in Beijing. We periodically request access to the Tibet Autonomous Region, but did not do so in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic and related reasons. A British Ambassador has not visited Tibet since 2017. Our Ambassador is the UK representative to the whole of China and we believe it is important she is able to visit all parts of the country. We have not requested access to Tibetans in detention. Our consular access is limited to British nationals. However, we continue to express our concerns about the human rights situation in the Tibet Autonomous Region with the Chinese authorities, and call on them to uphold the rights of all citizens guaranteed in international law and China's own constitution.

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