Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many people in her Department have been (a) deployed to China (b) working on China policy in each year since 2010.

A significant and increasing number of FCDO roles both at Headquarters and across the global network, involve an element of China policy. This shift in focus and resource has been underway for a number of years. In 2020/21 the FCDO dedicated an additional £3million to increase our capability on China, including a significantly expanded China Department. In 2022/23, the FCDO is establishing additional China-facing roles in London and the network to provide analysis, reporting and policy delivery.