§ Lady HermonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Chinese Government regarding the imprisonment of Gong Shengliang; and if he will make a statement. [133182]
§ Mr. RammellWe have raised Pastor Gong Shengliang's case with the Chinese authorities on a number of occasions. Most recently we supported an EU demarche in Beijing on 18 July. The Chinese authorities said the allegations of torture and ill-treatment were untrue and that he was in good health.
We also raised Pastor Gong's case directly with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On 31 July they told us that Pastor Gong had had stomach problems before he was imprisoned and that following treatment the problems had stabilised. His relatives had visited him four times.