Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the recent political unrest in Hong Kong.

We have been monitoring events in Hong Kong closely over recent weeks including, in particular, through regular reports from our posts in Hong Kong and Beijing. We also continue to meet regularly at senior level with both the Chinese authorities and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to discuss the situation. I met Hong Kong Justice Secretary Rimsky Yuen on 14 October.

We have consistently called on all sides to ensure that the demonstrations are peaceful and in accordance with the law, including in my response to a Westminister Hall Debate on 22 October, in my Written Ministerial Statement of 13 October, and in a Foreign and Commonwealth Office statement on 2 October on the question of constitutional reform. We encourage all parties to engage in dialogue and work towards a consensus that allows a significant step forward for democracy.