The G7 should not shrink from making explicit plans to deter military action or other coercive measures Beijing might contemplate taking against Taiwan, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) said in a statement on Monday.
The communique of the international consortium should “not shy away from the need for coordinated deterrence,” it said, adding that the group must make clear that “escalated aggression against Taiwan will cost Beijing dearly.”
Lawmakers from Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Japan, the Netherlands, Ukraine and the UK were among the IPAC members who signed the statement.
Photo: AFP
The G7 should reassert its “firm opposition to any unilateral change” to the “status quo” across the Taiwan Strait, emphasize Taiwan’s importance to the global economy and deter Beijing from belligerent actions, it said.
The international body should acknowledge that instability in the South China Sea would have a significantly negative effect on the world economy and ensure that efforts to de-risk the global supply chain take the situation in the region into account, it said.
The G7 was additionally called upon to reduce overdependency on China, increase supply chain and energy resilience, improve labor standards, counter cybersecurity threats, cybertheft and disinformation, and oppose “transnational repression” emanating from China, the group said.
“G7 countries [should] coordinate their efforts to investigate and expose China’s transnational repression, including by sharing information, coordinating sanctions, and supporting civil society groups and human rights defenders who are working to document and counter these abuses,” it said.
The G7 was called upon to “work with other like-minded partners to pressure China to end its transnational repression by raising these issues in multilateral fora,” IPAC said.
Beijing’s “no limits” friendship with Moscow amid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine cast doubt on China’s commitment to “the foundational principles of the international rules-based system,” it said.
Chinese entities and individuals should be monitored for providing aid to Russian aggression and sanctions invoked if necessary, it added.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and