Written question asked by Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour) on Tuesday, 24 September 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 26 September 2019. It was answered by Heather Wheeler (Conservative) on Tuesday, 1 October 2019 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

China: Surveillance

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for (a) human rights and (b) the rule of law of the risk assessment system used by the Chinese Government in Xinjiang.

Answer: We follow the situation in Xinjiang closely and Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials regularly travel to the region to attempt to verify reports about the restrictions targeted at specific ethnic groups; they most recently visited in May 2019. We are not aware of individuals receiving 'yellow' or 'red' designations in Xinjiang and we have limited insight into the Chinese government's risk assessment system. However, we have serious concerns about the human rights situation in the region where the measures being taken are disproportionate and indiscriminate. We are aware of credible reports of widespread surveillance, ethnic and religious profiling, and restrictions on the ability to practice religion freely.

Secondary information