Taiwan has welcomed a group of parliamentarians from around the world for a major summit focusing on China, despite facing intimidation tactics from Beijing. The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) is holding its fourth annual summit in Taipei on Tuesday and Wednesday. This event will bring together lawmakers from 35 different countries who are concerned about how democracies should handle their relations with China.
Several diplomats from countries such as Bolivia, Colombia, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Bosnia, and one unspecified Asian country reported that they were being pressured by Chinese diplomats to avoid attending the summit. They received numerous phone calls, texts, and urgent requests for meetings that conflicted with their plans to travel to Taipei.
Chinese officials are accused of trying to isolate Taiwan by dissuading international participants from joining the summit.
IPAC has condemned these actions by China, calling them a clear attempt to intimidate and dissuade its members from attending the event in Taiwan. According to IPAC, some lawmakers found that their political party leaders were contacted by Chinese officials to exert additional pressure. In some cases, lawmakers were even invited to travel to China instead of attending the summit in Taipei.
The summit will address the issue of “cross-strait stability,” which refers to the relations between Taiwan and China. Taiwanese President Lai Ching will give a speech at the event. The discussions will also feature contributions from leading experts and Taiwanese government officials.
The summit is taking place against a backdrop of increased Chinese military activities around Taiwan, including frequent flights by fighter jets and navy ships around the island.
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IPAC was established in 2020 by former UK politician Iain Duncan Smith to promote a united international stance against Chinese aggression. Since its founding, IPAC members have faced sanctions from Beijing, and in 2021, the group was targeted by Chinese state-sponsored hackers.
The IPAC summit coincides with a meeting of the Quad grouping—Australia, India, the United States, and Japan—in Tokyo. The Quad members issued a joint statement criticizing China’s increasingly aggressive behavior in the South China Sea and the East China Sea. This global context highlights the growing international concern over China’s actions and their impact on regional stability.
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