Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Chinese authorities on the reported arrest of Pu Zhiqiang.

Mr Hugo Swire

As the Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon Baroness Anelay of St Johns, explained in her written answer of 30 December, we are deeply concerned by the conviction of Pu Zhiqiang, which raised serious issues about due process and transparency and justice in China. We have continued to raise his case with the Chinese authorities. Most recently, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), re-iterated our concerns with the Chinese government during his visit to China on 5 January. My Right Honourable Friend once again underlined our disappointment at the treatment of diplomats and journalists outside Pu’s trial.