Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to Prime Minister’s press release entitled Prime Minister unlocks new opportunities for British businesses in China, published on 29 January 2026, if he will make it his policy to ensure that any services agreement with China includes clear and legally binding protections for UK firms operating in China.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK and China have agreed to launch a Bilateral Services Partnership, developed in response to UK business' asks for clearer rules, better market access, and practical support to benefit from China's increasing demand for high-quality UK services.
The UK and China have also agreed to conduct a joint feasibility study to examine the potential to negotiate a bilateral Trade in Services Agreement. Such a legally binding agreement, if secured, would mirror the services chapters of the UK’s modern, high‑standard FTAs and be consistent with the UK and China’s obligations under the World Trade Organisation’s General Agreement on Trade in Services.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the UK's current trade deficit with China; and what they forecast this deficit will be in each of the next three years.
Answered by Lord Stockwood - Minister of State (HM Treasury)
In the 12 months to September 2025, the UK ran a £43.5bn total trade deficit with China. The UK's goods and services trade balances were -£52.9bn and £9.4bn respectively. Over the same period, the UK ran an overall total trade deficit of £29.9bn with the world. [ONS UK total trade all countries Q3 2025]
Neither the UK government or the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the official forecaster for the UK economy, forecasts bilateral trade balances.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the extent to which exclusions from the BN(O) visa route for Hong Kong born-persons born after 1 Just 1997 and without BN(O) status, contribute to HKSAR passport holders claiming asylum in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The BN(O) route reflects the UK’s historic and moral commitment to those people of Hong Kong who chose to retain their ties to the UK by taking up BN(O) status at the point of Hong Kong’s handover to China in 1997. To be eligible for the BN(O) route, applicants must have BN(O) status, or be the eligible family member of someone with BN(O) status. Adult children of BN(O) status holders who were born after 1 July 1997 are eligible for the route.
The route is focused on those with BN(O) status and is already available to a significant proportion of the Hong Kong population. However, we understand concerns about the current scope of the route and so continue to keep this policy under review.
We have not made an assessment of the number of Hong Kongers born on or after 1 July 1997 who are not eligible for the BN(O) route, or of the extent to which ineligibility for the BN(O) route may contribute to asylum claims. Asylum and the BN(O) route serve different purposes and operate independently.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she will expand eligibility for the BN(O) route to include Hongkongers born on or after 1 July 1997; what assessment she has made of the number of people currently excluded for this reason.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The BN(O) route reflects the UK’s historic and moral commitment to those people of Hong Kong who chose to retain their ties to the UK by taking up BN(O) status at the point of Hong Kong’s handover to China in 1997. To be eligible for the BN(O) route, applicants must have BN(O) status, or be the eligible family member of someone with BN(O) status. Adult children of BN(O) status holders who were born after 1 July 1997 are eligible for the route.
The route is focused on those with BN(O) status and is already available to a significant proportion of the Hong Kong population. However, we understand concerns about the current scope of the route and so continue to keep this policy under review.
We have not made an assessment of the number of Hong Kongers born on or after 1 July 1997 who are not eligible for the BN(O) route, or of the extent to which ineligibility for the BN(O) route may contribute to asylum claims. Asylum and the BN(O) route serve different purposes and operate independently.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to Prime Minister’s press release entitled Prime Minister unlocks new opportunities for British businesses in China, published on 29 January 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed UK-China bilateral services partnership on trends in the level of UK service exports.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK‑China Bilateral Services Partnership (BSP) is designed to deliver high‑value benefits for UK businesses in the world’s second-largest services import market.
UK services exports to China rose 81% in current prices between 2016 and 2024. However, in 2024 the UK had nearly a three times greater share of the global services import market (at 8.0%) than of China’s market (at 2.6%) [ONS and UNCTAD data].
The BSP therefore aims to help UK firms access China’s large and expanding services market. It is a mechanism to push for improved market access as well as deliver practical support to help drive UK services exports to China, supporting growth.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Prime Minister’s press release entitled Prime Minister unlocks new opportunities for British businesses in China, published on 29 January 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of a UK-China services partnership on economic growth.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK‑China Bilateral Services Partnership (BSP) is designed to deliver high‑value benefits for UK businesses in the world’s second-largest services import market.
UK services exports to China rose 81% in current prices between 2016 and 2024. However, in 2024 the UK had nearly a three times greater share of the global services import market (at 8.0%) than of China’s market (at 2.6%) [ONS and UNCTAD data].
The BSP therefore aims to help UK firms access China’s large and expanding services market. It is a mechanism to push for improved market access as well as deliver practical support to help drive UK services exports to China, supporting growth.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to Prime Minister’s press release entitled Prime Minister unlocks new opportunities for British businesses in China, published on 29 January 2026, when the joint feasibility study on a UK-China trade in services agreement is expected to conclude.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The joint feasibility study for a UK-China Trade in Services Agreement is an exploratory stage; it’s not a commitment to negotiate an agreement. The study is intended to identify areas of shared interest and assess the potential benefits and challenges involved in a potential bilateral Trade in Services Agreement.
Should both parties find sufficient common ground, the process may then proceed to formal negotiations, based on mutual agreement. The timing of the conclusion of the feasibility study and any potential future negotiations would be determined through further technical discussions between the UK and China.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Prime Minister’s press release entitled ‘Prime Minister unlocks new opportunities for British businesses in China’ published on 29 January 2026, what steps are being taken to improve recognition of UK professional qualifications in China.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK-China Bilateral Services Partnership (BSP) Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Thursday 29 January between the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Peter Kyle, and the Minister for Commerce, Wang Wentao.
The BSP represents a commitment between the UK and China to deepen practical government cooperation and support in growth sectors such as financial and professional services where the recognition of professional qualifications is critical for trade.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 21 January (HL13311), whether they have formally lodged a statement at the United Nations and with China about a breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration in the case of Jimmy Lai; and if not, whether they intend to do so.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Following Beijing's imposition of the National Security Law (NSL) on Hong Kong, the UK declared China to be in a state of ongoing non-compliance with the Joint Declaration. The UK raised concerns about the NSL and Joint Declaration during the 2020 UN Human Rights Council sessions. This government has repeatedly called for China to return to its commitments under the Joint Declaration, for the NSL to be repealed, and for an end to the prosecution of all individuals charged under it, including British national Jimmy Lai.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Prime Minister will consult with the President of Taiwan before his visit to China.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Prime Minister's travel plans and meetings are decided by the UK Government.
The UK has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan but a strong, unofficial relationship, based on deep and growing ties in a wide range of areas, and underpinned by shared democratic values.