September 15, 2022
No. 244
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), an organization comprising legislators from national legislatures across five continents, as well as members of the European Parliament, held a summit in Washington, DC, from September 12 to 14. In a joint communique published on September 14, IPAC announced that it will continue to work through its network of national legislatures in order to safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, as well as Taiwan’s economic and trade security. MOFA sincerely welcomes and appreciates this declaration.
In the section of its communique focusing on support for Taiwan, IPAC begins by condemning China for its continued aggressive language and actions toward Taiwan, and for threatening the use of force, which it says must not be ignored. Noting that Taiwan is a peaceful and democratic nation enjoying such universal values as freedom, human rights, and the rule of law, IPAC states that it stands in solidarity with Taiwan against Chinese aggression and in defense of peace, opposing any unilateral change of the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and calling on the governments of its member countries to counter China’s military and economic intimidation. Furthermore, it pledges to promote parliamentary visits to Taiwan, advance the status of Taiwanese Representative Offices, and work toward Taiwan’s meaningful inclusion in such organizations and mechanisms as the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Criminal Police Organization, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The communique also calls on the governments of IPAC member countries to signal to China that it will pay a heavy price for any military aggression toward Taiwan. It recommends that they consider meaningful sanctions to deter military escalation and make good use of intergovernmental mechanisms to deter economic coercion, thereby ensuring the continued conduct of relations with Taiwan. It also supports the development of trade and investment agreements with Taiwan.
IPAC is composed of parliamentarians representing multiple political parties from the European Parliament and 29 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, Australia, Belgium, Canada, India, Japan, and Lithuania. The purpose of the alliance is to promote further cooperation among MPs from like-minded countries and exert a profound international influence by demanding China’s compliance with international norms and advocating global security matters and universal human rights. Since its inception in June 2020, the alliance has repeatedly demonstrated support for Taiwan, including backing Lithuania’s development of relations with Taiwan and calling on WHO to facilitate Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly and all WHO meetings, mechanisms, and events. Furthermore, last year, IPAC invited Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu to attend its annual meeting for the first time via video link, and called on all democracies to safeguard freedom and democracy in unity during the meeting. Taiwan will work hand in hand with IPAC and other like-minded international partners to uphold peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the Indo-Pacific region, defending the core values shared by democracies across the globe. (E)