Taiwan has been invited to join the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), highlighting its key role in resisting Beijing, and that democratic countries want Taipei to join their alliance, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) said yesterday.
Founded in 2020, IPAC consists of 250 legislators from 30 countries across five continents, who are working to reform how democratic nations approach China.
The alliance must reach a certain degree of consensus regarding which countries can become member states, with two legislators from two different parties on each country’s political spectrum chosen to be cochairs to ensure representativeness, Fan said.
Photo copied by Hsieh Chun-lin, Taipei Times
After passing a resolution, IPAC invited Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator Jang Chyi-lu (張其祿) and herself to be cochairs representing Taiwan’s legislators in the alliance, Fang said.
“It is hard-won progress,” as IPAC requires two legislators from two major parties to join, but Taiwan’s main opposition party — the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) — has continuously boycotted it, so Taiwan’s participation had been stalled, she said.
Thankfully, many legislators approached IPAC — applying for membership, joining its summit in Washington in September last year and attending its regional meetings — so despite the KMT’s opposition, IPAC finally invited Taiwan to join, valuing the nation’s key role in resisting China, Fan said.
This progress confirms that democratic countries want to form an alliance with Taiwan, she added.
Since the US-China trade dispute began, China’s Belt and Road Initiative “debt trap” and human rights abuses have been exposed, and with its “friend” Russia invading Ukraine, an alliance of democratic countries is taking form, while issues surrounding Taiwan are becoming more important, Fan said.
“We are working hard so that Taiwan can participate in international organizations, and joining IPAC is the first step in opening up new prospects,” she said.
Fan said she is glad to know that 40 legislators in Taiwan have applied for IPAC membership, adding that once she begins her duties as cochair, she plans to assist like-minded legislators in obtaining membership.
Fan said that she would also make a concerted effort to convey to the world that Taiwan would defend itself, pursue peace, not concede to China’s political intimidation or military coercion, and stand with democratic allies in resisting authoritarianism.
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