By Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, August 5: The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) has officially welcomed Taiwan as a member during its fourth annual summit held in Taipei on July 30.
The announcement was made by IPAC Executive Director Luke de Pulford during a press conference. He revealed that ruling Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Fan Yun and opposition Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Chen Gau-Tzu would serve as co-chairs of the Taiwan legislature within the alliance. According to the IPAC official website, each legislature in IPAC is led by two co-chairs from diverse political backgrounds.
In a statement, IPAC expressed strong support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations, “Its [Taiwan’s] formal inclusion in the Alliance was welcomed as a historic result by all delegates.”
This year’s summit was attended by 49 politicians from 24 countries, reflecting the growing international concern about China’s policies. Established in 2020, IPAC focuses on reforming countries’ policies towards the People’s Republic of China. It also unites lawmakers worldwide, promoting democracy and addressing threats to the rules-based and human rights systems posed by the rise of China.
With Taiwan’s inclusion, IPAC now comprises over 250 cross-party members from 40 countries, including Australia, Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Previous summits were held in Rome (2021), Washington DC (2022), and Prague (2023). Taiwan was a central focus of this year’s summit, with speeches by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te and Vice-President Hsiao Bi-khim, emphasizing the need for a “democratic umbrella” to defend Taiwan and preserve the international rules-based order.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Lin Jian, criticized the move, stating, “This so-called alliance has maliciously hyped up issues related to China. Spreading lies and rumours about China, and has no credibility whatsoever. There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair that brooks no interference by any external forces.”
Reports emerged before the conference that eight lawmakers from at least five countries had received pressure from Chinese diplomats to avoid attending the summit. These attempts to dissuade foreign parliamentarians were condemned by the organizers as “massively overstepping” and acts of bullying. In a statement, the organisers condemned China’s action stating “The PRC’s actions around IPAC’s Summit are yet another example of their brazen efforts to curtail other nations’ democratic privileges and negate Taiwan’s rights to engage in legitimate diplomatic exchanges”. The statement further stated “In response to the PRCs intimidation, IPAC has decided to bring forward its announcement of our largest ever enlargement, welcoming six new countries to the Alliance: Colombia, Iraq, Malawi, Solomon Islands, The Gambia and Uruguay”.
