Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Tibet; and if he will make a statement.

We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Tibet, particularly in regards to freedom of expression and ethnic minority rights. We regularly raise our concerns with the Chinese authorities, and highlight them in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy. On 10 December, I took part in a Westminster Hall Adjournment Debate on Tibet where I outlined a range of our concerns.

We believe that meaningful dialogue is the best way to address and resolve the underlying differences between the Tibetan overseas communities and the Chinese government, and encourage all sides to restart talks as soon as possible.