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China: Christianity

Asked by James NaishLabourForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled Answered 26 March 2026UIN 121924

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, since designating China as one of ten priority countries in its Freedom of Religious Belief (FoRB) strategy, what actions her Department has taken to tackle FoRB violations in China.

Answered by Seema Malhotra

The UK stands firm on human rights in China and we are concerned by recent reports of Christians being detained in China. We continue to monitor the situation closely and the Prime Minister raised human rights with President Xi when they met in January. To support our wider efforts to champion freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), David Smith MP was appointed Special Envoy for FoRB in December 2024, and the UK hosted a Geneva event in July 2025 reaffirming the universal right to freedom of religion or belief.

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