IPAC Newsletter 08 January 2021

Belgium
IPAC co-chair Samuel Cogolati MP questioned the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the EU-China CAI investment deal, highlighting concerns around access granted to Chinese firms investing in energy infrastructure and 5G networks.  

Czechia
A motion proposed by IPAC co-chair Sen. Pavel Fischer recommending the government block bids from Russian and Chinese firms seeking to invest in nuclear power construction was adopted by the Senate. 

Denmark
IPAC co-chairs  Uffe Elbaek MP and Katarina Ammitzbøll MP secured a debate in the Danish parliament, passing a statement criticising the Hong Kong National Security Law and raising human rights concerns in China.

European Parliament
IPAC MEPs Reinhard Bütikofer, Miriam Lexmann and Anna Fotyga signed a joint statement condemning the mass arrests of over 50 Hong Kong activists. The statement called for sanctions against Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and an EU lifeboat policy for fleeing Hong Kongers.

A number of IPAC MEPs made statements to the press criticising the lack of human rights provisions within the EU-China CAI investment deal, see Guy Verhofstadt MEP and Engin Eroglu MEP.

Japan
The Japan Parliamentary Alliance on China joined with IPAC in calling for democratic countries to take joint punitive economic action against the Chinese government for its continued crackdown in Hong Kong. 

Netherlands
IPAC co-chair Martijn van Helvert MP questioned the Foreign Minister on Huawei’s Uyghur face recognition technology and called for the Netherlands to blacklist Hikvision and other companies complicit in Xinjiang abuses.

United Kingdom
IPAC member Lord David Alton secured a debate in the House of Lords on the mass arrest of Hong Kong activists, calling for sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for abuses.

IPAC co-chair Baroness Helena Kennedy urged the government to investigate HSBC for the freezing of Hong Kong activist Ted Hui’s bank accounts