§ Lord Alton of Liverpoolasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they agree with the United States State Department's Country Report 2002 for China which concludes that the Chinese Government continue to pursue a policy of coercive population control encompassing physical, psychological and economic pressure notwithstanding the presence of the United Nations Population Fund in a number of Chinese countries. [HL3071]
§ The Secretary of State for International Development (Baroness Amos):We are working to secure respect for reproductive rights in China. UK support is provided through the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). There is evidence that UNFPA and IPPF's work is having an impact. Birth targets and quotas have been removed in UNFPA programme counties, and more recently in non-UNFPA programme areas. Abortion and sterilisation rates and maternal and child mortality have reduced in UNFPA programme counties. China's first Population Law, which became effective in September 2002, introduces new legislative protection for the population against abuses from family planning officials and establishes a clear complaints procedure.