china – Saddleworth Liberal Democrats

01Nov 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Oldham Council still using CCTV equipment from Chinese supplier linked to human rights abuses

Oldham Council is using CCTV equipment supplied by Chinese company Hikvision, despite a House of Commons report last year which linked Hikvision to serious human rights violations against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has written to the Council urging them to blacklist Hikvision and if possible, remove their equipment from sites across Oldham where possible. A breakdown of Hikvision equipment owned and operated by the council was obtained by the Liberal Democrat Group after a freedom of information request was issued by councillor Sykes. Councillor Sykes said, “Hikvision have been blacklisted in the United States because of concerns about their role in human rights violations, targeting Uyghurs in Xinjiang. The firm has provided camera technology which has been used in internment camps in…

11Feb 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Restarting China trade talks sends “dangerous signal” over Uyghur genocide

Parliamentary news

Responding to reports in Politico that the Boris Johnson is planning to restart trade talks with China, Liberal Democrat Trade Spokesperson Sarah Olney MP said: “How can the Conservative Government plan to strike a trade deal with China given the genocide against the Uyghurs? “Conservative Ministers are sending a dangerous signal to Beijing that they can get away with whatever they want. “Rather than hold new trade talks with China, the UK must ban imports from Xinjiang, and recognise the genocide taking place there. We must not stay silent.”

04Feb 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Winter Olympics: UK Government must recognise Uyghur genocide

Parliamentary news

Responding to today's opening of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Layla Moran MP said: "As the Olympic flame is lit today in Beijing, Liberal Democrats stand in solidarity with all those oppressed, discriminated against or persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party - from Tibet to Taiwan; from Falun Gong practitioners to human rights defenders; from Hong Kong to Xinjiang. "No matter how opulent the stadiums or ceremonies at these Olympics, nothing the Chinese government can do will ‘sportswash’ the brutal horror taking place in Xinjiang - the persecution of the Uyghurs, which amounts to the crime of genocide. "For the last twelve months, Liberal Democrats have called on the UK Government to boycott these Games and it is right that no British ministers or…

09Dec 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

UK Government must recognise Uyghur Genocide

Parliamentary news

Responding to the judgement of the Uyghur Tribunal, which determined that the human rights abuses taking place against the Uyghurs constitute a genocide, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson Layla Moran MP said: “Today’s verdict proves beyond doubt that the human rights abuses taking place against the Uyghurs by the Chinese Government do constitute a genocide. “The testimony gathered by the Tribunal is horrifying - detailing torture; rape; forced reeducation; forced labour, mass surveillance; forced sterilisation; cultural and religious destruction and other terrible abuses. All those who came forward and gave evidence, in the face of threats to both their own and their families’ safety, have revealed the true scale and depth of the crimes against humanity taking place in Xinjiang. “In the face of such irrefutable evidence, we must not…

07Dec 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Olympic boycott: No excuses – UK must follow US lead

Parliamentary news

Responding to the US's announcement of a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Layla Moran MP said: "The UK Government has sat on its hands as the CCP has perpetrated awful human rights abuses, which in the case of the Uyghurs amounts to the crime of genocide. We should have been first out of the blocks in boycotting the Beijing Olympics, but now it's imperative we follow the lead of one of our closest allies. "No ifs, no buts and no excuses - the Foreign Secretary must come to Parliament tomorrow and announce that the UK ministers and officials are boycotting Beijing 2022 as well."

09Nov 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

If the PM wants to make COP a success he should be turning to Beijing not flying to Glasgow

Parliamentary news

Responding to reports the Prime Minister will travel to Glasgow today, former Climate Change Secretary and Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “If Boris Johnson is really serious about getting a good deal at COP26 he should be going to Beijing not Glasgow. “There is still time for a good deal for the planet, but there is an awfully long way to go, especially to persuade China to go the extra mile. “The Prime Minister should therefore focus diplomatic efforts on President Xi - with the carrot of a climate progress dividend and the stick of new carbon taxes on Chinese imports into the UK and other western countries. “The UK must unite the West to get China into a better place. If Glasgow’s COP fails, we will…

05Nov 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

China must phase out coal or face carbon border tax

Parliamentary news

Leader of the Liberal Democrats and former Climate and Energy Secretary Ed Davey used a visit to the COP26 summit in Glasgow to call for tougher international action against China in the fight against climate change. He called on Western countries to unite in getting China to agree to phase out the use of fossil fuels or face a carbon border tax, warning that a “carrot and stick approach” is needed to get the world’s largest polluter round the negotiating table. Ed Davey has negotiated more COPs than any other British politician, leading negotiations in Doha, Lima and Warsaw. Leader of the Liberal Democrats and former Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey said: “This is Boris Johnson’s moment to bring the West together and put China under maximum pressure to phase…

18Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Lib Dems urge sanctions and Olympic boycott on China over Uyghur genocide

Parliamentary news

The Liberal Democrats have passed a motion at their party conference that calls for sanctions on Chinese officials and a boycott of the Winter Olympics. The motion also calls for family reunification of those forced into “re-education” camps and calls on the Foreign Secretary to grant asylum to Uyghurs fleeing persecution. Liberal Democrats have consistently called on the UK Government to take urgent action against those perpetrating these atrocities, including the use of Magnitsky sanctions. Ahead of the vote at their party conference Lib Dem Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Layla Moran has written to every UK Government Minister urging them to back a boycott of the Winter Olympic games due to happen in February 2022. In the letter, Layla says, “The accounts of what is taking place in Xinjiang are horrifying,…

23Apr 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Lib Dems call for diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics

Parliamentary news

Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Layla Moran MP has called on the Government to commit to a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics. Moran, who spoke in Parliament on the debate about Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide in Xinjiang, called for a full diplomatic boycott of the event, which would prohibit Government ministers and dignitaries from attending the games. Speaking after she took part in the debate, Layla Moran said: “A diplomatic boycott of next year’s Beijing Winter Olympics would send a clear message to the Chinese government. We’ve had enough hand-wringing and prevaricating. We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past. “In the debate I focused on Uyghur women and children, many of whom are being taken from their relatives, while their parents are detained. They are subjected to…

19Apr 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Jimmy Lai: UK Government must stand up for Hong Kong’s democracy

Parliamentary news

Reacting to the news that Jimmy Lai, the owner of Hong Kong's last opposition newspaper, has been sentenced to a year in prison, Lib Dem Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Layla Moran MP said: "Jimmy Lai's sentencing is a solemn, urgent reminder the UK and the international community that democratic opposition is being snuffed out in Hong Kong. “The UK is failing in its duty under the Joint Declaration and international law to preserve Hong Kong’s democracy and human rights. Any red line has been crossed. The time for Dominic Raab and Boris Johnson to act is long overdue. “The Liberal Democrats will stand, as we always have, with the people of Hong Kong. The Government can make no more excuses - it is time for the UK to step up, lead…

Tag: china