Members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) yesterday called for global solidarity with Taiwan and Lithuania, as the nations face intense pressure from the Chinese government.
In a video statement posted on Twitter, IPAC members appealed to democratic countries to stand “shoulder-to-shoulder” with Lithuania, and raise awareness of China’s retaliatory tactics against nations such as Taiwan and Lithuania.
The statement from the alliance of more than 100 lawmakers from 19 countries and blocs came as Lithuania faces retribution from Beijing for exiting a cooperation framework between China and central and eastern European countries, calling out human rights abuses in Xinjiang and allowing Taiwan to establish a representative office in Vilnius under the name “Taiwan” rather than “Taipei.”
Photo: screen grab from Twitter
The office is to be named the “Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania.”
To avoid conflict with China, countries with which Taiwan does not have diplomatic relations tend to call Taiwan’s de facto embassies in their jurisdiction the “Taipei Economic and Cultural Office” or “Taipei Representative Office.”
Lithuania’s decision has angered the Chinese government, which launched various reprisals against the country, such as recalling its ambassador from Vilnius and expelling Lithuania’s ambassador from Beijing.
China has also introduced various trade sanctions, including halting direct freight train services to the Baltic state in retribution.
“The Chinese Government is carrying out a campaign of threats and intimidation against the Lithuanian people,” Lithuanian lawmaker Dovile Sakaliene said in the video that featured IPAC members from 12 legislatures across Europe, and in Australia, Japan and New Zealand.
Sakaliene is a member of Seimas, the Lithuanian parliament, and one of several IPAC members to have been targeted by Chinese retaliation.
“Once again, the Chinese government is using its economic might to coerce smaller states into acquiescence,” said Elisabet Lann, Deputy Mayor for the Christian Democrats in Gothenburg, Sweden.
French Senator Andre Gattolin echoed Lann’s remarks.
“We commend the courage of the Lithuanian and Taiwanese people, and we call for democratic states everywhere to take a united stand against Beijing’s coercive diplomacy,” he said.
IPAC was founded last year as an international coalition to create a coordinated response to China on global security, human rights and trade issues. It has previously initiated movements encouraging governments to back Taiwan’s inclusion at the World Health Assembly, and voiced its support for Australian wine producers who were affected by Chinese trade sanctions.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS