Select committee: Foreign Affairs Committee

China and the international rules-based system inquiry

Closed Opened 21 Nov 2017 Closed 21 Jun 2019

Foreign Affairs Committee Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗

Inquiry scope (the committee's words)

The integration of China within the international rules-based system is a matter of critical importance for the long-term security of the system. This inquiry will seek to examine how China has participated and engaged with the international order, and how the UK can respond to and support the process.

Where it stands

The inquiry is closed, opened 21 November 2017.

The committee has published 1 report, most recently 16th Report - China and the Rules-Based International System on 4 April 2019.

The government's response

Published 21 June 2019.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The Government responds point by point, setting out existing arrangements and positions, while not planning a separate lessons-learned exercise and not publishing the National Security Council's China strategy.

On the Belt and Road Initiative, it describes a cross-Government BRI Board chaired by the FCO's Head of China Department, which allows proposals to "be considered on a case-by-case basis". It says the UK "did not agree to sign an MOU endorsing the BRI as a whole".
It does not plan the lessons-learned exercise the Committee recommended, saying it "would duplicate existing work and divert resources away from delivering our objectives".
On a China strategy, it says it does not publish National Security Council strategies "for reasons of national security", lists the broad areas of focus, and says it will "find opportunities to set out more detail" on its approach "over the next 18 months".
On the 5G supply chain, it says decisions "will be announced in due course and to Parliament", and will be based on "evidence and a hard-headed assessment of the risks".

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

Reports

16th Report - China and the Rules-Based International System4 April 2019

All reports

Evidence

5 oral evidence sessionsLatest 15 January 2019

All evidence

Recent activity

21st Special Report - China and the Rules-Based International System: Government Response to the Committee’s Sixteenth Report21 June 2019, Report published
16th Report - China and the Rules-Based International System4 April 2019, Report published
Oral evidence session15 January 2019, Oral evidence

Reports

1 report

16th Report - China and the Rules-Based International System

HC No.: HC 612
Published: 4 Apr 2019
Items: 0
Government response: Government response published 21 June 2019. Read the government's response ↗

Oral evidence sessions

5 sessions

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Date	Session and witnesses	Source
15 Jan 2019	Oral evidence session No witnesses recorded	View ↗
8 Jan 2019	Oral evidence session No witnesses recorded	View ↗
15 Nov 2018	Oral evidence session No witnesses recorded	View ↗
23 Oct 2018	Oral evidence session No witnesses recorded	View ↗
27 Mar 2018	Oral evidence session No witnesses recorded	View ↗