Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when the Minister for Asia met with the Chinese Ambassador Zheng Zeguang on 15 December 2021, whether she raised the cases of Parliamentarians who have been sanctioned by the People's Republic of China; and what the outcome of that meeting was.

In my meeting with Ambassador Zheng on 15 December 2021, I raised the UK's serious concerns regarding human rights in Xinjiang, noting these concerns are widely shared by the international community. I urged the Chinese Government to engage with the evidence provided by the Uyghur Tribunal. I also raised the unacceptable and unwarranted sanctions imposed upon UK Parliamentarians by the People's Republic of China. I emphasised the importance of freedom of speech and Parliamentary independence in the UK, as well as the necessity for Parliamentarians to be able to raise their legitimate concerns.