Taiwanese President Warns of Chinese Regime’s Expanding Authoritarianism at IPAC Summit

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te delivers his inaugural speech after being sworn into office during the inauguration ceremony at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei, Taiwan, on May 20, 2024. (Sung Pi-lung/The Epoch Times)

TAIPEI, Taiwan—Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te pledged to work closely with like-minded partners to uphold democracy in the world in the face of the Chinese communist regime’s expanding aggression and authoritarianism.

“I want to emphasize that a threat by China to any country is a threat to the whole world,” Mr. Lai said in a speech on July 30. “Taiwan will use its full strength to support the democratic umbrella with our partners in democracy so we may avert the threats of expanding authoritarianism.”

Mr. Lai made his remarks at a summit held by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), a group of more than 200 lawmakers from countries around the world who believe that coordinated responses are needed to confront Beijing’s malign activities.

This year marks the first time the annual event was held in Taiwan.

According to IPAC, 49 politicians from 24 countries took part in the summit this year, including British Labor MP Sarah Champion and Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith, Japanese House member Otokita Shun, Canadian independent MP Kevin Vuong, French Sen. Olivier Cadic, Chech Republic House member Eva Decroix, Australian Labor Sen. Deborah O'Neill, and European Parliament member Miriam Lexman.

“China’s outward expansion of authoritarianism is evident through its military intimidation of neighboring countries, and through tactics including diplomatic suppression, economic coercion, cyberattacks, and the spreading of disinformation,” Mr. Lai said. “Their continuously escalating gray-zone aggression undermines regional peace and stability.”

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been targeting Taiwan with gray-zone warfare, such as flying warplanes near the island, in an attempt to put pressure on the island’s democratically elected government and military. Ultimately, the Chinese regime wants to take over Taiwan, a de facto independent nation, either through peaceful means or military actions.

Days after Mr. Lai took office in May, the CCP launched what it called “punishment” military drills encircling Taiwan, which prompted the U.S. State Department to issue a statement expressing concerns.

During his speech, Mr. Lai also outlined his four-pillar strategy for Taiwan to defend itself, including strengthening national defense, improving economic security, and working side by side with other democratic partners.

“Given our strategic position in the first island chain, Taiwan stands on the frontline of the democratic world,” Mr. Lai said. “We are determined to defend our democracy, and we are firmly committed to working together to maintain regional peace.”

IPAC Members

After Mr. Lai’s speech, IPAC issued a statement announcing Taiwan’s membership in the alliance. It said that two Taiwanese lawmakers, Fan Yun from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and Chen Gau-tzu from the opposition Taiwan People’s Party, would serve as co-chairs of the island’s legislature in the group.

“IPAC is a strong advocate for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations. Its formal inclusion in the Alliance was welcomed as a historic result by all delegates,” the statement said.

Established in 2020, the alliance now consists of lawmakers from 40 countries, with Colombia, the Solomon Islands, and Uruguay as recent new members.

In response, Taiwan’s foreign ministry posted on the X that the island’s inclusion into the alliance “is yet another compelling testament to global democratic solidarity.”

IPAC also decided to launch the 2758 Initiative, which aims to inform the public about the “distortion of United Nations Resolution 2758.” According to the statement, IPAC members pledged to “pass resolutions in their own parliaments to reject Beijing’s distortion of international law regarding Taiwan’s status.”

U.N. Resolution 2758 from 1971 replaced Taiwan with China as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. It stated that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) “is the only legitimate government of China.” Taiwan’s official name is the Republic of China.

In 2022, the German Marshall Fund of the United States published a report detailing how China had been distorting the meaning and context of Resolution 2758 to assert sovereignty over Taiwan.

“The PRC has since worked to ‘internationalize’ its ‘One China’ Principle and to conflate it with UN Resolution 2758, a revisionist shift from the original intent of the document,” the report states.

IPAC also reiterated its criticism of Beijing over the CCP’s attempts to pressure IPAC members to skip the summit in Taiwan.

“IPAC members roundly condemned Beijing’s attempts to interfere in their Annual Summit through intimidation and pressure tactics,” IPAC said.

“These attempts highlight the need to raise a democratic umbrella not only over Taiwan, but over like-minded democracies. The network is resolved to protect our institutions and communities from the PRC’s foreign interference and transnational repression activities.”