Thank you Mr. Speaker. With your permission, Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a statement updating the house on the latest developments with respect to China and in particular Hong Kong.
As I told the House on the 1st of July, the UK wants a positive relationship with China. China has undergone an extraordinary transformation in recent decades. Grounded in one of the world's ancient cultures, not only is China the world's second largest economy, it has a huge base in tech and science.
The UK government recognises China's remarkable success in raising millions of its own people out of poverty. China is also the world's biggest investor in renewable technology, so it will be an essential global partner when it comes to tackling global climate change, and the Chinese people travel, study and work all over the world, making an extraordinary contribution.
So, Mr Speaker, let me be really clear about this. We want to work with China. There is enormous scope for positive, constructive, engagement. There are wide-ranging opportunities, from increasing trade, to cooperation in tackling climate change as I've said, in particular with a view to the COP 26 summit next year which the UK will of course be hosting.
But, as we strive for that positive relationship, we are also clear-sighted about the challenges that lie ahead. We will always protect our vital interests, Including sensitive infrastructure, and we won't accept any investment that compromises our domestic or national security.
Mr Speaker, we will be clear where we disagree, and I have been clear about our grave concerns regarding the gross human rights abuses being perpetrated against the Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.
And Mr. Speaker it is precisely because we recognise China's role in the world, as a fellow member of the G20 and a fellow permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, that we expect china to live up to the international obligations, and the international responsibilities that come with that stature.
That is the positive, constructive, the mature, the reciprocal relationship that we seek with China: Striving for good cooperation, honest and clear where we disagree.
And, Mr Speaker, we have been clear regarding the new National Security Law which China has imposed on the people of Hong Kong. A clear and serious violation of the UK-China Joint Declaration, and with it a violation of China's freely assumed international obligations.
On the 1st July, I announced that we are developing a bespoke immigration route for British Nationals (Overseas) and their dependents. Giving them a path to citizenship in the UK, and I can update the house that the Home Secretary will set out
