§ Sue DoughtyTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in persuading the Chinese Government to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. [165264]
§ Mr. RammellAt the most recent round of the UK China Human Rights Dialogue in November 2003, the Chinese delegation said that the ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) would be supported by a recently organised inter-ministerial task force.
I regularly raise ICCPR ratification with Chinese interlocutors and stress that the Government attaches great importance to progress in this area.