Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Chinese Foreign Minister’s remarks on security considerations and economic and trade issues; and whether he discussed those remarks during their meeting in July.

The Foreign Secretary discussed a range of bilateral and international issues with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting on 23 July. The Government's policy towards China remains consistent and long term. We will cooperate when we can and challenge when we must.

China will continue to play a vital role in supporting the UK's secure growth. It is currently equivalent to our third largest trading partner in goods, after the EU and the US, and the economic relationship supports over 370,000 British jobs. We are taking a consistent, long term and strategic approach to economic relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests.