MOFA thanks IPAC for communique in support of Taiwan

2022/09/16

A communique adopted by the international Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China calling for greater support for Taiwan is sincerely appreciated by the government and people, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Sept. 15.
 
Composed of legislators from 20-plus countries and territories and the EU, IPAC seeks to deepen collaboration between members on issues related to China such as safeguarding international rules-based order, upholding human rights, promoting fair trade, strengthening security and protecting national integrity.
 
In the document, the IPAC said China’s increasing threat to Taiwan cannot be ignored. The alliance stands in solidarity with Taiwan while opposing any unilateral change of the cross-strait status quo and deploring the use of force, it added.
 
Taiwan’s safety will grow through stronger partnerships, the IPAC said, adding that the alliance will increase the number of inter-parliamentary visits, ensure the status of Taiwan’s overseas representative offices and work towards the country’s meaningful inclusion in international organisations such as the World Health Organization, International Civil Aviation Organization, Interpol and U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.
 
The communique called for governments to signal to Beijing that military aggression toward Taiwan will cost China dearly. Economic and political measures like sanctions should be considered, it said, adding that supporting Taiwan’s accession to trading blocs and developing bilateral investment agreements are also encouraged.
 
According to the MOFA, the communique further demonstrates the IPAC’s staunch backing of Taiwan since its establishment in June 2020. This is evidenced by a statement calling on the WHO to accept the country’s partipation in its decision-making body World Health Assembly in November 2020, a video voicing support of Taiwan-Lithuania ties in September 2021 and the invitation to Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu to attend its annual meeting via video link in October 2021, the ministry said.
 
The government will continue to work with IPAC and other like-minded partners to safeguard shared democractic values while maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific, the MOFA added. 


Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)