On 13th October 2025, the Bishop of Leeds asked a question on the history of espionage conducted by China in the UK:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, can the Minister confirm that spying by the Chinese is not a new phenomenon but has been conducted under previous Governments as well?
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In his valedictory contribution in the House of Lords on 22nd May 2025, the Bishop of St Albans tabled a question on government efforts to secure the release of Jimmy Lai from Chinese custody:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty’s Government what recent steps they have taken towards securing the release of Jimmy Lai.
Lord Collins of Highbury (Lab, FCDO): My Lords, British national Jimmy Lai’s case is a priority for this Government. We continue to call on the Hong Kong authorities to end their politically motivated prosecution and release him. The Foreign Secretary committed in the House of Commons that Ministers would raise Jimmy Lai’s case with the Hong Kong and Chinese officials at every opportunity, and we have been doing so. Our diplomats have attended his trial and continue to press for consular access.
I know the right reverend Prelate will be retiring at the end of the month. I express my gratitude and, I am sure, that of the whole House for all his work.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about government steps towards securing release of British citizen in custody in Hong Kong”On 19th December 2024, the Bishop of Guildford spoke in a debate on human rights in China, highlighting the situation of the Uighur Muslims and urging the government to introduce safeguards to combat modern slavery in the supply chain:
The Lord Bishop of Guildford: My Lords, as the grandson of former medical missionaries in south-west China, I take great interest in this debate. As others have expressed, I am really grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Alton, for his remarkable and indefatigable commitment to human rights and freedom of religion or belief all around the world. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Ahmad—it is a privilege to speak after him—for his huge commitment in this area over many years.
I share with my forebears a deep respect for the Chinese people, their culture, their discipline and their character, but I have been horrified by stories of the oppression and maltreatment of religious minorities and critics of the regime over very many years. I have paid several illuminating visits to China to witness that for myself. This afternoon, like others, I wish to highlight the desperate situation of Uighur Muslims in the north-western region of Xinjiang, whom the other place has declared as being subject to genocide. Specifically, I urge His Majesty’s Government to ensure that the screening of goods made in forced labour camps—everything from solar panels to tomatoes—prevents them being imported into this country.
Continue reading “Bishop of Guildford highlights issues of modern slavery and repression in China”The Bishop of Winchester spoke in a debate on human rights in China on 19th December 2024, empathising the importance of a religiously and culturally informed approach towards China:
The Lord Bishop of Winchester: I am very grateful to my friend, the noble Lord, Lord Alton of Liverpool, for securing this vital and urgent debate. I congratulate him on his election as chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights. There is no one better qualified to fulfil that role.
If we are to understand China from the perspective of human rights, security or trade, or indeed from any other perspective, we must see the country in its own terms and as it sees itself rather than simply through western lenses. To understand China as she understands herself, it will not do to look at her in terms of Marxism or indeed Maoism. If once it was said of the Labour Party that it was more Methodist than Marxist, it can be fairly said of the Chinese Communist Party that it is at least as Confucianist as it is communist. At the heart of China’s concept of itself lies the concept of tianxia, a word that means “all under heaven”—and that I almost certainly mispronounce. Even in those three words, you can grasp a sense of its import. It is an ancient concept, dating at least to the start of the first millennium BC, describing a system of relations across Asia, with China as the centre of the civilised world and the apex of culture, the heart of a sage empire, spreading material benefits and wisdom to all mankind—a geopolitical system with China at the centre and the Emperor at the centre of the centre.
Continue reading “Bishop of Winchester speaks in debate on human rights in China”The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on human rights issues in Xinjiang, China on 17th December 2024, following a government statement on issues relating to UK national security and the Chinese state:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, we are all aware how complicated it is trying both to maintain our defence and security and to continue to trade. At the same time, there are some profound human rights issues going on. Reports have just emerged that the Chinese Government have demolished an important centre—the Rebiya Kadeer Trade Center—in Urumqi, Xinjiang. What representations have His Majesty’s Government made to support the people there, whom the other place has claimed have been subject to genocide?
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The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 15th April 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact upon national security of Chinese-made electric vehicles; and whether they plan to further investigate any risks that may arise.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about risks associated with electric vehicles produced in China”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 5th March 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of recent Human Rights Watch research that suggests several major carmakers could be complicit in abuse of China’s Uyghur Muslims.
Lord Johnson of Lainston (Con, DfT): Modern slavery is a barbaric crime which we are determined to stamp out. In 2022, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights published its assessment of the human rights situation in Xinjiang, which found that China had carried out “serious human rights violations” against Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about forced labour in China”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government:
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what support they are providing to those UK citizens names as co-conspirators in the trial of Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about support for UK Citizens named in criminal proceedings in Hong Kong”The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on international efforts to hold China to account for persecution of religious minorities on 19th December 2023:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I too congratulate the Foreign Secretary on a much more robust approach. This is not happening only in Hong Kong; it is part of a much wider movement right across China, where not only human rights but religious rights are being denied. Churches are being knocked down, pastors are being arrested and, most notoriously of all, there is, many people would argue, a genocide of the Uighur people. What are we doing with our colleagues internationally to press China on these rights in a consistent, long-term way that is backed up by sanctions?
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