PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Uyghurs: Human Rights (4 June 2021)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of reports that (a) the Chinese government is testing emotion recognition technology on detained Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region and (b) technology firms Hikvision and Dahua are developing facial recognition technologies to identify and track Uyghurs; and whether he plans to take steps to prevent (a) Government departments and (b) firms and consumers in the UK from purchasing goods from firms that are reportedly providing technology to the Chinese government for the surveillance of Uyghurs.

Asked by:
Janet Daby (Labour)

The UK is committed to promoting the ethical development and deployment of technology in the UK and overseas. We are aware of a number of Chinese technology companies linked to violations taking place in Xinjiang, and are monitoring the situation closely.

On 12 January, the Foreign Secretary announced a series of measures to help ensure UK businesses and the public sector are not complicit in human rights violations or abuses in Xinjiang. These measures, which are being implemented by the UK Government, include a review of export controls; the introduction of financial penalties under the Modern Slavery Act; increasing support for UK government bodies to exclude suppliers complicit in violations or abuses; and strengthening the Overseas Business Risk guidance to highlight that businesses engaged in the fields of surveillance, biometrics, or tracking technology are at heightened risk of complicity in human rights violations in Xinjiang.

The UK Government has also published guidance to help cutting-edge UK firms negotiate the ethical, legal and commercial questions they may encounter when working with Chinese businesses, supporting safe and appropriate UK-China collaboration in digital and tech. The guidance provides firms with clear, up-to-date information and specialist support which reflect the UK's values and take account of national security concerns.

Answered by:
Nigel Adams (Conservative)
14 June 2021