Beijing doesn’t have the right to ‘threaten foreign lawmakers’ or ‘curb the freedom of movement of democratically elected lawmakers,’ the group said.
An international group of lawmakers has condemned communist China for using “direct and indirect” coercive measures against those who took part in a recent summit in Taiwan.
The event was attended by 49 IPAC members from 24 countries, marking the largest delegation of foreign parliamentary members to visit the self-ruled island.
IPAC listed several politicians, which it said were among those who “have been subjected to wholly inappropriate efforts by the PRC to limit their fundamental freedoms, both before, and after the Summit.”
“The PRC’s coordinated program of political interference and intimidation over recent days, directed specifically against delegates to the IPAC 2024 Summit, is a clumsy and openly coercive series of actions designed to limit engagement and dialogue between democratically elected representatives,” the group added, referring to China’s official name, the People’s Republic of China.
Beijing claims Taiwan as a part of its territory, even though the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has never ruled the island nation. The regime does not tolerate any government officials or foreign diplomats engaging with Taiwanese officials.
“Neither the PRC, nor any other country, has the right to threaten foreign lawmakers for having entirely legitimate discussions of international law and global prosperity, nor seek to curb the freedom of movement of democratically elected lawmakers,” IPAC stated.
CCP’s Coercion
The Solomon Islands government on July 31 issued a statement criticizing Peter Kenilorea, a leading opposition member of parliament (MP), for taking part in the summit. The South Pacific nation claimed that the trip was “an attempt to harm the Solomon Islands and the People’s Republic of China relations” and reiterated the CCP’s territorial claim over Taiwan.
“Instead of harming Solomon Islands, the summit looked at ways that we as concerned MPs of the IPAC network can continue to spread the message in our respective Parliaments about perils any unilateral change to the Taiwan strait relations could bring,” he added.
“As democracies, we must #StandTogether against those who would interfere in our freedom of movement & work,” Vuong wrote on Aug. 6.
The letter also told the party leadership to “not conduct official exchanges or contacts in any form with Taiwan,” asserting that official interactions “are not in favor of the development of bilateral China-Romania relations.”
“I intend to foster long-term cooperative relationships with municipalities and authorities in Taiwan, particularly in areas such as public service provision and sustainable urban development,” Tenita wrote.
“I believe it is in Romania’s interest to establish bilateral trade and cultural representations in Taipei and Bucharest, as well as to enhance conditions for access and conduct of commercial activities,” he added.
The CCP’s coercion tactics also reached Sweden.
Elisabet Lann, a municipal councilor in Sweden’s city of Gothenburg and a member of the Christian Democrats (KD) party, also participated in the Taipei summit.