Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will discuss with his Chinese counterpart reducing regional tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has discussed the security situation in the South China Sea with his Chinese counterpart. He has also discussed the issue in other multilateral fora, for instance at the recent G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting. The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Mr Fallon), highlighted our concerns about the current situation during his speech at the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore on 30 May. The UK has a clear interest in regional peace and stability and respect for freedom of navigation. We will continue to make our concerns known.