An amendment to the UK-China trade bill, which would give the High Court the right to determine if a genocide has been committed, “has the numbers to pass”, rebel Tories say.
The amendment is designed in relation to allegations of human rights abuse by China against Uyghur people in Xinjiang province, which Beijing has repeatedly denied.
The move is designed to stop the UK from doing deals with countries that commit human rights abuses.
According to the amendment, if the High Court decides a genocide has been committed, the government would then have to hold a debate to set out what it proposes to do.
The bill is set to make provisions about the implementation of international trade agreements, establishing the Trade Remedies Authority and conferring functions on it about the collection and disclosure of information relating to trade.
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs Dominic Raab said last month that the UK government will implement a range of new measures against Beijing and make sure that British businesses are not part of Xinjiang region supply chains so they won't be "complicit in the use of forced labour".
China has repeatedly denounced the claims that it discriminates against Uyghur Muslims, stating that so-called re-education camps in Xinjiang are training centres, established to combat regional extremism.