Question
I appreciate that the Minister cannot talk about security matters, so I shall try to broaden the question, and will hopefully receive a clearer response. It is obvious that agents of the Chinese Government, and the Chinese Government themselves, are targeting pro-democracy campaigners, whether they sit in Parliament, are citizens of Britain or are in Hong Kong. Just this week we saw that Joshua Wong had been sentenced to 10 years in prison for standing up for democracy in Hong Kong, and we have seen the transnational repression of British national overseas passport holders and UK citizens here on our streets. Will the Government summon the Chinese ambassador to talk about the case reported in the Daily Mail and the transnational repression, as well as calling for Joshua Wong’s release, which they did for Jimmy Lai? Will they sanction those responsible for the national security law prosecutions, as the United States has? Will the Minister be able to tell Parliament what further consequences will follow if the Chinese Government do not start to behave differently towards the UK and will not release Joshua Wong and Jimmy Lai?
Answer
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for those points. The Government share the concerns about Mr Wong and Jimmy Lai, and I know that she will have noted recent Foreign Office statements about those particular cases. Let me make it absolutely clear to my hon. Friend and the House that the Government take matters involving transnational repression extremely seriously. Any attempt to intimidate China’s critics overseas, including residents here in the UK, is completely unacceptable.40% vibes
Verdict: RED (20/100)
The reply speaks in general terms about transnational repression and says the Government shares concerns about Joshua Wong and Jimmy Lai, but it does not say whether the Chinese ambassador will be summoned or whether Joshua Wong's release is being called for. It refers the asker back to earlier Foreign Office statements rather than committing to a position. It also does not address sanctions, or what further steps would follow if China does not change course or release the two men. Overall, the answer is largely hedged and generic, so the asker would likely need to ask again for specifics.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the Government summon the Chinese ambassador to discuss the case reported in the Daily Mail and the transnational repression of British national overseas passport holders and UK citizens in the UK? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply addresses transnational repression in general and says such intimidation is unacceptable, but it never says whether the Chinese ambassador will be summoned. It also points to earlier FCDO statements about the cases rather than stating a position on the Daily Mail case. |
| Will the Government call for the release of Joshua Wong, as it did for Jimmy Lai? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply says the Government shares concerns about Mr Wong and Jimmy Lai, but it does not say whether it is calling for Joshua Wong's release as it did for Jimmy Lai. The reference to recent FCDO statements is a referral rather than a direct answer. |
| Will the Government sanction those responsible for the national security law prosecutions in Hong Kong, as the United States has? | Not Addressed | Generic | The reply does not mention sanctions, whether against those responsible for the national security law prosecutions or in comparison with the United States. It only refers to earlier Foreign Office statements about the individual cases. |
| What further consequences will follow if the Chinese Government does not change its behaviour towards the UK and does not release Joshua Wong and Jimmy Lai? | Not Addressed | Generic | The reply says the Government takes transnational repression extremely seriously, but it describes no further consequences or actions should China not change its behaviour or release the two men. |