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China

Volume 455: debated on Monday 15 January 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with overseas counterparts on the embargo of Chinese products made using forced labour. (113410)

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not raised the embargo on Chinese products made from forced labour with overseas counterparts. However, we strongly condemn all forms of forced labour and regularly raise China’s reform through labour practices, including re-education through labour, with the Chinese Government at each round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue, the last round of which was held in Beijing in July 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she was informed that the US had issued a démarche to the Chinese authorities about the recent shooting of Tibetans near to the border with Nepal. (115332)

The Government are aware that the US carried out a démarche on the Chinese authorities to request further information on the incident at Nangpa La Pass shortly after it was reported. We requested information bilaterally from the Chinese Government on 12 October. We strongly supported action by the EU, which raised the incident with the Chinese Government at the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue in Beijing on 19 October 2006, and carried out a follow-up démarche on 19 December.