UK: Labour will no longer accuse China of genocide over treatment of Uyghurs

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has reportedly dropped plans to designate China's treatment of its Uyghur minority as genocide as he travels to Beijing.

In March 2023, Lammy said that if Labour was elected, Labour would pursue legal routes to declare that China is committing genocide against the Uyghurs, and would "act multilaterally with our partners" to do so.

But now the foreign office has distanced itself from that approach, as the government tries to improve Britain's relations with China.

A British government source told the Guardian that "genocide is a determination for competent international courts to decide".

However, Labour's previous position was that international courts could not be relied on to do so, since they would require China's consent.

Trade between the two countries is currently worth £110bn ($143bn)  a year, making China a crucial economic partner. 

The U-turn marks another significant shift in Labour's position on China after getting elected.

In April 2021, the British parliament voted to declare that China is committing genocide, although the Conservative government did not do so.

Labour, then in opposition, backed the motion - and called for Britain to introduce a General Assembly resolution at the UN requesting an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on whether China is committing genocide.

Sam Dunning, director of UK-China Transparency, told Middle East Eye the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has "doubtless applied pressure on the UK government to withdraw or suppress its criticisms of state policy in Xinjiang, especially ahead of Lammy's visit to Beijing.

"Nearly a decade since protestors on British streets were arrested at the request of the visiting entourage of Secretary Xi in 2015, we must demand more transparency about the pattern of concessions made by successive British governments desperate to butter up Beijing."

Repression of the Uyghurs

The Chinese government detained up to two million Uyghurs, a Muslim minority group inside China, in so-called "re-education" camps in the northwestern Xinjiang region.

China has portrayed harsh security measures in the region as being part of Beijing's battle against "terrorism", and vehemently denies accusations of genocide.

But there have been many reports of torture, systematic rape, forced labour, mass disappearances, executions and the destruction of thousands of mosques and cultural sites in Xinjiang.

This week, the European parliament passed an emergency resolution against China's repression of the Uyghurs, calling for the release of detainees.

Following Lammy's trip, Chancellor Rachel Reeves plans to visit China in early 2025 to boost trade and investment.

Middle East Eye has contacted the British Foreign Office for comment.