§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the current position of the China Western Poverty Reduction Project; and what recent representations she has received concerning it. [139318]
§ Mr. FoulkesFollowing the World bank board meeting in July this year, the Government of China withdrew its request for funding for the Qinghai component of the Western Poverty Reduction Project, and decided to use its own funding for activities under this component.
We have received many letters on the subject and there was a well-organised but one-sided campaign against this project. As a result, the international community will not now be involved in ensuring that the important social and environmental safeguards for the project are in place.