House of Lords
25th July 2024
My Lords,
In congratulating and welcoming the Minister, to his place, may I also note the Prime Minister’s promise, made at the NATO Summit to be “robust” with China over human rights and security concerns.
Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, who has been asked to oversee a Strategic Defence Review, has described China, Russia, Iran and North Korea as a deadly quartet. Having been sanctioned by three of those countries I agree with him. This new axis evokes the four apocalyptic horsemen who epitomised War, Famine, Plague and Death.
Lord Robertson is a great choice but I doubt the Review will say add a great deal to our own House of Lords reports“UK defence policy: from aspiration to reality?” and our earlier report on China. Resources to implement the recommendations are needed now, not by 2030 – demanded by the situation in Ukraine, the Middle and Far East – notably in the South China Sea with daily threats to Taiwan and the Philippines.
The forgotten war in Sudan also has implications for the UK.
11 million displaced Sudanese – adding to the 114 million people displaced globally – leads to dangerous journeys and pliability in the hands of traffickers and terrorists – posing a massive humanitarian and security challenge.
As for China, does the new Government share the outgoing Government’s view that China is an “epoch-defining challenge.”
Notwithstanding unstinting admiration for the peoples and culture of China do the Government see the Chinese Communist Party led by Xi Jinping is a severe threat to our own security, as well as repressing the peoples under its control in the most cruel and inhumane ways.
Given that the Minister’s Party voted for the House of Commons Resolution naming a genocide against the Uyghurs how will we bring the CCP to account?
Will we ban the import of products made by forced labour in China; require British businesses manufacturing or importing from China to ensure their supply chains are free of slave labour; prohibit new trade agreements ?
Will he explain the Energy Security Secretary’s decision to approve the Mallard Pass solar farm, where Canadian Solar’s panels may have been made by slave labour?
And what about Hong Kong? For transparency I mention that I am a Patron of Hong Kong Watch.
Will we be sanctioning those responsible for dismantling Hong Kong’s promised freedoms, in total breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, reenforced by Article 23, a second draconian security law shredding what little remains of Hong Kong’s civil liberties?
At the earliest opportunity will the Prime Minister, and Foreign Secretary, meet Sebastien Lai, son of Jimmy Lai, a 76 year-old British citizen and entrepreneur whose health is deteriorating ? Will we be calling for his immediate release along with Hong Kong’s 1800 pro democracy prisoners?
And in rightly welcoming escapees will we immediately expel CCP diplomats if we see a recurrence of the shameful attack in 2022, when peaceful Hong Kong protesters were beaten up and dragged into the grounds of the Chinese Consulate in Manchester?
In our universities, what steps will the Government take to show that it is “robust” in defending our freedoms at home, especially academic freedom, by helping our higher education institutions reduce dependency on China?
Take the case of Professor Michelle Shipworth from University College London, banned from teaching a course because she spoke about modern slavery in China.
She was told by UCL, which has the highest proportion of Chinese students among all our universities, that she had been removed because it had to protect its “commercial interests”. In a recent email to me, Professor Shipworth said this:
“It is heart-breaking that many/most Chinese students won’t speak in class because they are frightened that other Chinese students could report them to the CCP for “wrong think”…Fear of the CCP (and loss of student fees that they control access to) stalks my classroom and department, reducing the quality of teaching and learning for everyone.”
And what are we going to do to tackle transnational repression and develop a range of tools to prevent infiltration, intimidation or harassment of both diaspora communities and prominent British critics of the CCP – including the sanctioning and harassment of members of both Houses of Parliament?
The Minister will recall my successful amendments on Chinese surveillance cameras.
Will he review what progress there has been in stripping out Hikvision surveillance cameras from government buildings and assess the surveillance dangers posed by Chinese electric vehicles?
My Lords, No one would seriously suggest we stop all trade with China, but I have repeatedly argued that we must reduce dependency and increase resilience in every sector.
Think of the scandal of billions paid to the CCP’s companies for personal protective equipment to protect against a virus that originated in China -equipment – like so much else – that could and should have been made here.
If we are to be robust, let’s show that we mean what we say.
