Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with (a) the Government and (b) businesses in China on the exploration of oil; and if he will make a statement.

The British Embassy in China meets regularly with the Chinese Government and a range of stakeholders, including businesses, to inform policy development on a wide range of topics, including the exploration of oil.

The British Embassy has held a number of recent discussions with China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) and the China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) to discuss their oil exploration activities in the UK Continental Shelf.