IPAC will use its means to welcome Taiwan, countering Beijing's efforts to limit its international space

Beijing is actively working to shrink Taiwan's international presence, stated Luke de Pulford, co-founder and executive director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC). He asserted that the most effective countermeasure to China's pressure is to demonstrate global openness towards Taiwan and its people. De Pulford highlighted that this strategy should extend to welcoming Taiwanese citizens to participate in various activities.

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This is a very serious matter, and we must confront it. We cannot allow 'Taiwanese to be forbidden from speaking for themselves.'

De Pulford, who recently visited Taiwan for an interview, addressed the escalating diplomatic coercion by China against European nations. He noted that Beijing's efforts target not only governments but also Taiwanese individuals. As an example, he cited the abrupt cancellation of the RightsCon global digital rights conference in Zambia, which was scheduled for early May. Notably, no Taiwanese government officials were slated to attend, only private citizens, yet the event was still canceled.

"This is a very serious matter, and we must confront it. We cannot allow 'Taiwanese to be forbidden from speaking for themselves,'" De Pulford stated. He believes that IPAC, despite its limitations as a group composed of parliamentarians, will utilize its available means to signal its welcome to Taiwan. The alliance aims to extend invitations to high-level Taiwanese government representatives and continue advocating for Taiwan.

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Beijing is trying to shrink the space for Taiwanese people in the world, not just targeting the government, but also Taiwanese people.

De Pulford stressed that IPAC is firmly committed to ensuring that doors remain open to people from all sectors of Taiwan. He acknowledged that the alliance's capacity is constrained by its members' parliamentary status but affirmed their dedication to using their limited influence to express a welcoming stance towards Taiwan and raise public awareness of Beijing's actions.

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The best way and strategy to deal with China's suppression is to show the world's openness to Taiwan, and to express welcome to Taiwanese people participating in all kinds of activities.