Taiwan is striving to improve its self-defense against the hybrid warfare waged by China over cross-strait issues, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said when meeting delegates of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) at the Taipei Guest House yesterday.
Taiwan is honored by the IPAC delegation’s presence at the Taipei Guest House, a place that has witnessed the nation’s history from the Japanese occupation and the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) single-party rule to today’s liberal and open democratic society, she said.
Hsiao said she expected to hear the opinions of the delegates and exchange ideas about important values shared among almost all their nations, such as democracy and peace.
Photo: screen grab from the Presidential Office’s Flickr account
Taiwan is facing great geopolitical challenges, as Beijing has expedited its military expansion and engaged in ongoing military activities and hybrid warfare over cross-strait issues, she said.
The IPAC delegation has arrived at a crucial moment as Taiwan is striving to enhance its self-defense, as well as its democratic, social and economic resilience, she added.
On behalf of the IPAC delegation, Japaneses Diet member Yasue Funayama delivered an address at the meeting, but her remarks were not made public.
The IPAC, which consists of hundreds of lawmakers from 35 nations concerned about China’s threat to global democracy, is holding its annual summit in Taipei today and tomorrow, with 48 lawmakers from 24 nations across five continents set to participate.
“Cross-strait stability will be at the top of the agenda, with high level contributions from the Taiwanese government and world-leading experts,” the IPAC said in a statement. “It will be the largest parliamentary delegation ever to visit Taiwan in an institutional capacity.”
Legislators from the Democratic Progressive Party and Taiwan People’s Party would also be attending this year’s summit.
DPP Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) yesterday called on her KMT counterparts to attend the Taipei summit to show that parties from across the political spectrum are willing to “make friends” with lawmakers from around the globe.
In response, KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Lin Szu-ming (林思銘) said the KMT would “not obstruct” its members who want to attend the summit.
The IPAC released a statement on Sunday condemning China for allegedly pressuring its members not to fly to Taiwan to attend the summit.
The members were contacted by the Chinese embassies in their respective nations as part of a “clear attempt to intimidate and dissuade” them from traveling to Taiwan.
Formed in 2020, the IPAC has more than 250 members from 35 legislatures and the European Parliament. It is an international, cross-party alliance of lawmakers from democratic nations focused on relations with China.
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