The “status quo” across the Taiwan Strait must not be changed unilaterally, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) said on Wednesday at the conclusion of its annual meeting in Washington, expressing support for Taiwan.
The communique declared that IPAC would continue to jointly defend peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, as well as Taiwan’s economic and trade security, through the legislative bodies of its member countries.
More than 60 parliamentarians from different countries attended this year’s meeting and passed the communique without objection at its conclusion.
Photo: CNA
The meeting also included a session on strengthening democratic support for Taiwan, which was attended by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Fan Yun (范雲), New Power Party Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) and independent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐).
“If, in fact, the Chinese Communist Party is successful in subjecting the people of Taiwan to living under tyranny, it will be a moment that will steer the course of human events for generations,” US Senator Marco Rubio, an IPAC cochair, said during the meeting.
The communique also discussed human rights, defense of the rules-based global order, the political situation in Hong Kong, the strengthening of democracy worldwide and support for Ukraine.
The communique condemned China’s military exercises near Taiwan and its coercive military threats. It called on countries worldwide to oppose China’s tactics in the Strait, to promote state visits to Taiwan and upgrade the status of the country’s missions abroad.
It also called for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the WHO, the International Civil Aviation Organization, Interpol, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and other international covenants and organizations.
The communique also called on governments of all countries to convey to China that military aggression against Taiwan would come at a heavy price, and to consider substantive sanctions in response to military escalation by China.
Countries should make good use of intergovernmental mechanisms to curb economic coercion by China, and to ensure continued relations with Taiwan, it said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday in a statement said that Taiwan would continue to work with IPAC and other like-minded international partners to jointly maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, and to defend the core values shared by global democracies.
IPAC is an international cross-party group of legislators working to develop policies that democratic countries can follow in their approach to China, according to the alliance’s Web site.
Its current members include cross-party legislators from the European Parliament, the US, the UK, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, Australia, Belgium, Canada, India, Italy, Japan, Lithuania and Ukraine, among others.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS